Bradenton man gets prison for attacking man with hatchet over broken cellphone
A Bradenton man who attacked another man with a hatchet during an argument over a broken cellphone is headed to prison, according to court records.
A Manatee County judge sentenced 35-year-old Jaquan Marquis Sykes to two and a half years in prison Monday after he pleaded no contest to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, court records show.
An attorney representing Sykes did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Prosecutors originally charged Sykes with attempted murder after deputies said he struck a 28-year-old Bradenton man with a blunt object “while making homicidal statements” in the early morning hours of Dec. 30, 2022, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. The case later moved forward on a reduced charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Hatchet attack leads to arrest
According to an arrest report, Sykes, the victim and another person had gone to Oneco Rose Bar, 103 Cortez Road W., to buy liquor.
The report says Sykes and the victim walked behind the bar while the witness stayed in the vehicle. A short time later, investigators said Sykes returned alone and told the witness to go check on the victim before fleeing the scene. As Sykes ran off, he shouted, “That was for breaking my phone,” the witness told detectives.
The witness found the victim injured and called 911, according to the report.
Deputies said they found the victim lying in the roadway with multiple cuts and fractures to his upper body and head.
He was hospitalized, where he had metal pins inserted to keep his bones aligned, detectives said. They also said he would eventually require surgery to correct the injuries.
Attack over broken phone, victim says
The victim told detectives he believed the attack stemmed from an earlier incident when he accidentally broke Sykes’s phone on Christmas, the arrest report says. The victim told law enforcement that he had replaced the phone and said he didn’t understand why Sykes was still angry.
He also recalled hearing Sykes yell, “So now you wanna beg for your life?” as Sykes left the scene of the attack.
Deputies said Sykes, who is known as “Quan,” left before law enforcement arrived. An arrest warrant was issued several days later. After deputies searched for him for more than a week, he was arrested during a traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators wrote in the arrest report that the hatchet had not been recovered at the time of Sykes’ arrest.
According to court records, Sykes pleaded no contest at trial last month to the lesser offense of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Circuit Judge Teri Dees gave him credit for time served from January 2023 through November 2024. He has 30 days to appeal.
