Naked Tourist Runs into Traffic Yelling I'm 'King of the World!'
There may be a time and a place for everything, but when it comes to tripping acid and running around naked, perhaps 1:30 a.m. in Key West is not the time and Highway U.S. 1 not the place for such shenanigans. Especially if you want to avoid being tasered three times and arrested on charges of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.
Unfortunately for a naked tourist by the name of Richard Gervasi, that lesson came far too late. Gervasi, was arrested in Key West, Florida after going on a bit of a bender and screaming, "I am king of the world," while naked. He also said that he was "made of steel," the Miami-Herald reports. To his eternal credit, it took his majesty three hits from the taser before he gave up. After the first shot, he actually pulled the prongs out of his skin and kept ranting. LSD is a helleva drug.
But naturally police continued tasering Gervasi, of Phoenixville, Pa, until he relented. Monroe County Sheriff's Office Deputy Danielle Malone arrested Gervasi. The naked tourist was with two of his friends on vacation in Key West.
It's a strange case, no doubt, though all taser cases seem to be strange. We previously reported about an Arkansas woman who called the police on her 10 year old who threw a tantrum instead of taking a shower. Police arrived on the scene, and when the mother gave them permission to tase her daughter, they did. The police officer was later reprimanded, but only for failing to video tape the altercation.
So here is some unsolicited advice for all you would be kings of the world. If you want to proclaim your world dominance in the buff while high on drugs, perhaps you should stay in your basement. It beats a jail cell any day.
Related Resources:
- Naked man Tasered three times and arrested in Florida while screaming, 'I'm the king of the world' (NY Daily News)
- OSU Player Tased, Arrested After Being Found Naked and Drunk (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- Taser Lawsuit Highlights Risks of Taser Deaths (FindLaw's Blotter)