VERO BEACH — A man was jailed after police said he stabbed another man following an argument over a seating table arrangement at a popular island eatery during a New Year’s celebration. The wounded man was taken by ambulance to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce with serious, but non-life threatening injuries, officials said.
Michael Anthony Gaudiani
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Michael Anthony Gaudiani, 66, of Seagrape Lane, Vero Beach, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Gaudiani was released Tuesday from the Indian River County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Vero Beach police responded to reports of a stabbing about 2 a.m. Monday at Grind and Grape – a bar with live music – located on Bougainvillea Lane. Officers found the injured man bleeding heavily from the side of his abdomen, reports show.
Security officers told police the man and an older patron got into an altercation earlier inside the business. The security officers said they separated the two and then noticed one of the men was stabbed, reports show.
Police reviewed surveillance footage, which showed the injured man standing inside the bar area moments before the stabbing. Two men – one older and one younger – spoke with the victim.
“It appears some type of disagreement takes place, and words are exchanged,” police said in the arrest report.
The video showed the younger man pull the victim forward and then the older man stabbing him with an unknown object, reports show. Police identified the older man as Gaudiani.
Officers went to Gaudiani’s home, detained him and then booked him into the county jail. Gaudiani has an arraignment at 10 a.m. Feb. 1, court records show.
It was unclear if the younger man will also be charged.
“This is still an open investigation and additional charges are still pending,” Vero Beach police spokesperson Officer Kelsea Callahan said.