Man dies after road dispute with bicyclist in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG - Detectives in St. Petersburg are investigating a bizarre death that occurred after a fight between two men early Wednesday morning.

Kevin Parkhurst, 24, told investigators he was riding his bicycle down 5th Avenue North when a delivery van, going the wrong way in the westbound lanes, cut him off.

Parkhurst and the 59-year-old man driving the van exchanged words. The driver then grabbed an ax handle from the van and threatened Parkhurst with it, police said.

The pair reportedly struggled over the weapon and Parkhurst punched the van driver in the face.

At some point, the men stopped fighting and Parkhurst told the van driver he was calling the police. The driver appeared alert, but a short time later, he started to stumble and fell backwards hitting his head on the pavement, detectives said.

At about 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday, police responded to a call of a fight involving a baseball bat in front of St. Anthony's Hospital on 5th Avenue North. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the van driver unconscious with no apparent pulse.

He was taken to St. Anthony's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His cause of death is under investigation.

Parkhurst was taken to police headquarters and interviewed by homicide detectives. He was released with no charges being filed against him at this time.