A man in Boca Raton, FL., was arrested for beating a man in the back of the head with a shovel after being given a free beer by a neighbor; he claims that he attacked the man in self defense.



According to WPBF, Wade Johnson, 41, was arrested Sunday night on aggravated battery charges after the alleged incident. According to an arrest report written by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Johnson approached two people in a yard in the 1800 block of North Federal Highway in Boca Raton and asked for a beer.

A woman went inside and grabbed Johnson a beer, and he stayed there for 20 or 30 minutes before being asked to leave. He then "became belligerent" before he "picked up a shovel and struck (a man) in the back of the head," the report said.

The man who was hit by the shovel fell to the ground, and moments later, "Johnson began stomping on his chest and head," the report said.

The victim didn't immediately call police because he and Johnson "were both in the military and out of respect didn't want to call," according to the report.

When investigators questioned Johnson at a hotel where he'd been staying, he said he attacked the man in self-defense.