Panning for Gold: In Celebration of Panhandle Diversity, Ukrainian Men Beat Some Mongolian Dude

By Thomas Francis Wed., Oct. 7 2009 at 2:08 PM

Categories: Florida, Panhandle

Flickr: hans hendriksen

If it comes to an ethnic turf war in the Panhandle, bet on the Mongols.

Who says the Florida Panhandle is not a culturally diverse place? Certainly not the 22-year-old Mongolian man who had the distinct cultural honor of being beaten by a pack of Ukrainians who then sped away in a Japanese-made truck. Why, Fort Walton Beach is like the redneck U.N.!

Here's the report from the Northwest Florida Daily News:

A 22-year-old Mongolian man told police he was beaten by several Ukrainian men on Park Circle.

Although there was a language barrier, the victim told an officer he didn't know why they attacked him and he was leaving for Chicago the next day, according to an incident report.

What the hell does leaving for Chicago have to do with anything? Maybe the Mongolian was bragging, and then the Ukrainians got jealous, on account of their being stuck in the Panhandle? After the jump, one officer's courageous effort to break the language barrier with the victim.

The officer located an English-to-Mongolian dictionary and looked up information on arrest complaints. He also attempted to find a linguist, but none was available, the report said.

Although there was damage to a property where the victim was staying, the officer wasn't able to determine who (the) owner was. The victim told the officer the Ukrainian men left in a white Toyota.