Bradenton bar tab dispute ends in stabbing, deputies say. Now a man faces prison
A man accused of stabbing a friend during a dispute over a bar tab in Bradenton could face decades in prison, according to court records.
Joshua L. Apatow, 27, pleaded no contest March 9 to a reduced charge of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony, after a Manatee County judge denied his Stand Your Ground claim in a 2024 stabbing case, court records show. The plea came just before his trial was scheduled to begin.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison under Florida law. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
An attorney representing Apatow did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
The charge stems from a February 2024 incident in which Apatow and a friend were returning from a bar when they argued after Apatow’s card was declined and the friend paid the bill, according to an arrest report.
Deputies said Apatow drove to the friend’s Lakewood Ranch home near Rangeland Parkway and stopped at a community gate, where the friend got out of the vehicle, walked to the driver’s side and punched Apatow twice. Apatow then asked the friend if he “wanted to do this,” stood up, pulled a knife and stabbed him in the chest and arm, according to the report.
The victim suffered two puncture wounds and was taken to HCA Florida Blake Hospital for treatment, investigators said. A witness in the vehicle told investigators he rendered aid while Apatow allegedly stood nearby and called his employer.
During an interview, Apatow allegedly told deputies he “never touched (his friend), he just stabbed him,” according to the report.
Prosecutors initially charged Apatow with attempted murder, but later reduced the charge to aggravated battery as the case moved through court, according to court records.
