Florida man charged with felony after allegedly hurling ketchup packet at good Samaritan

A Florida man is facing up to five years in prison after police say he attacked another person with an open ketchup packet at a St. Petersburg bus station.

Austin Simmons, 28, was found passed out Tuesday night at the PSTA Grand Central Station when a passerby stopped to check on him, according to an arrest affidavit. Police say Simmons woke up angry and began moving aggressively toward the individual who tried to help.

Officers reported that Simmons walked toward the victim and threw an open ketchup packet, leaving two spots of ketchup on the victim’s jacket. An open condiment packet was also seen spilling onto the station floor.

told officers he was only trying to “give the victim a ketchup packet,” — Simmons told officers he was only trying to “give the victim a ketchup packet.” Christopher Sadowski

Simmons told police he was attempting to give the victim a ketchup packet and denied trying to hit him. The approximately 0.3-ounce packet was not collected as evidence.

Simmons was charged with felony battery. While the incident would normally qualify as a misdemeanor, the charge was elevated to a third-degree felony due to a prior 2019 battery conviction. Details of that earlier case were not listed in arrest records.

Austin Simmons was arrested at a Florida bus terminal for allegedly attacking a bystander with a ketchup packet. Pinellas County Jail

During a search, officers also discovered a small amount of a chalky substance believed to be cocaine, resulting in an additional drug possession charge.

Simmons was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on a $5,000 bond for both charges. At his initial court appearance, a judge ordered him to have no contact with the alleged victim.

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