Key West man accused of shining laser gloves into police cars, faces 3 felonies

Chris Gothner, Digital Journalist

KEY WEST, Fla. – A Key West man is facing multiple criminal charges after authorities accused him of donning gloves with built-in lasers and shining the lights into police vehicles early Monday morning; one officer said it nearly caused him to crash into another cop while driving.

An arrest report states three officers were driving on Duval Street just before 2:15 a.m. when a man, later identified as John Maxmilian Zahner, “started to shine a green laser in our patrol vehicles multiple times.”

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“While driving, I experienced temporarily blurry vision and nearly struck (Officer Joshua Hesse)’s patrol vehicle,” Key West Police Department Officer Elam Thornbrugh wrote in the report.

Police said they spotted Zahner, 40, standing in front of Bourbon Street Pub at 724 Duval St. and turned their vehicles around. The arrest report states he ran into the bar.

Authorities said bystanders and a bartender identified the man as “Max.” According to the report, the bartender would later tell officers that Zahner, identified in jail records as a bartender himself, “was in the bar and had gloves with lights on them and was acting very immaturely” and was “shining the lights everywhere.”

Other witnesses said Zahner was acting “strange” and was pointing the lights at buildings as well, police said.

Police said they saw Zahner leaving the bar and followed him out, eventually leaving the property and closing a gate behind him.

The report states that Zahner led officers on a foot chase and they eventually used a Taser on him. Police said he resisted arrest until the officer used the Taser a second time.

Authorities said Zahner, taken to Lower Keys Medical Center to be checked out, identified himself using the name of one of the bartenders at Bourbon Street Pub but later gave his real name.

After receiving medical clearance, police said they booked Zahner into jail on three felony charges of misuse of a laser device, plus misdemeanor charges of providing a false identification to a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence.

According to online records, Zahner posted an $80,000 bond and left the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Key West jail facility Monday evening.

KEY WEST, Fla.