It stands to reason that all tattooists appreciate their customers, but Orlando, Florida tattooist Patrick Walker is most likely unbelievably grateful for customer Antonio Kakaleles. This past Monday, Walker was tattooing Kakaleles at Orlando’s Ace’s Tattoo Shop, when 37-year-old Jason Lynn Gay entered the shop. Gay’s sketchy appearance immediately caught Walker’s eye, but he maintained his professionalism and told Gay to look through some tattoo design booklets while he finished tattooing Antonio Kakaleles.
“I was being very cordial with the guy because he was a potential customer,” Walker said. “But he did look like a very strange character.”
Unfortunately, Gay, who sports a tattoo on one arm of the word “Nazi” and the word “Wizard” on his other arm, wasn’t there for a tattoo. As Walker continued to tattoo, Gay picked up the ceremonial Knights of Columbus sword that Walker keeps in the shop. Gay then moved on to an acoustic guitar that Walker also keeps in the shop and picked that up as well. With a sword in one hand and a guitar in the other, Gay turned to Walker and Kakaleles, began laughing and said “I’m gonna kill you guys. It’s your day to die.”
He then launched an attack on Walker, striking him on the back of the shoulder with the blunt edged sword and hitting him in the back of the head with the guitar. Realising that he had to do something and quickly, customer Antonio Kakaleles picked up a glass table top and smashed it down on Gay’s head. The glass cut Gay’s face and he fled the shop, but police later picked him up after they were able to follow the trail of blood he was leaving behind.
‘Walker and Kakaleles identified Gay as their attacker and crews transported him to Orlando Regional Medical Center to treat his wounds.
Orlando Officer Wayne Costa interviewed Gay at ORMC. The man told Costa he attacked the victims because they were “playing word games.”
Walker denied those accusations.
Corrections records show Gay, originally of Lakeland, has a violent criminal history. He spent 10 years at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton, Fla. under close custody — meaning that he had to be maintained within an armed perimeter or under direct, armed supervision when outside of that secured area.
His decade-long prison sentence was for convictions on charges of burglary, grand theft, robbery with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer with violence stemming from cases in 1997, 1998 and 1999.’
Man! First off, I want to say nice work to Antonio Kakaleles and Patrick Walker for defending themselves. I think this entire thing can teach everyone two valuable lessons: if you’re a tattooist, always appreciate your customers. You never know when they’ll help you out of a bad situation! And second, whenever you think you’re having a bad day at work, just be thankful that no one’s attacking you with a guitar and a sword!
Seriously though, all the best out to Antonio Kakaleles and Patrick Walker.