Arrest Made After 30-Round Shootout Outside Daytona Beach Bar Just Before Biketoberfest

A Bar Fight Explodes Into a Hail of Gunfire

A 26-year-old Port Orange man is now facing an attempted second-degree murder charge following an early Monday shooting on Main Street, according to Daytona Beach police. The incident, which unfolded in the early hours of October 12, turned a well-known Daytona Beach nightlife strip into a crime scene — and raised urgent questions about public safety just as one of the city's biggest annual events got underway.

Officers responded to the 800 block of Main Street near Froggy's Saloon at about 2 a.m. after receiving reports of gunfire. Investigators said a dispute between two armed people began inside the bar before moving into the street and escalating into an exchange of gunfire. Newly obtained video captured the confrontation, during which police said at least 30 rounds were fired.

Surveillance Video Reveals a Chaotic Chain of Events

A shooting outside Froggy's Saloon followed a confrontation in which a Daytona Beach man took away an assault-style rifle at gunpoint from two men who had been called to help a friend involved in an earlier fight at the bar. The Daytona Beach man, identified as Gerhon Huff-McKinney, 31, took the rifle from Steven Ott and another unidentified man. After seizing the weapon, Huff-McKinney dropped the rifle, fired a warning shot near Ott's feet, and began walking away.

As Huff-McKinney walked away, Ott continued following him. Huff-McKinney then turned and fired a round near Ott's feet, causing Ott to stop. Investigators said surveillance footage then showed Ott pulling a handgun from his right front pocket and firing multiple shots into Huff-McKinney's back as Huff-McKinney walked away. Police said that while Ott was shooting at the other person, a bystander also pulled out a gun and fired several rounds at Ott.

At the scene, police found one victim at the corner of South Grandview Avenue and Main Street suffering from gunshot wounds. Nearby on Grandview Avenue, police located Ott, also with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, where police said they remain in critical condition. Police arrested Steven Kyle Ott on Monday evening. He is being held without bond.

The Shooting Casts a Shadow Over Biketoberfest

Business owners along Main Street said they were surprised by the violence, particularly as tourists began arriving for the 34th annual Biketoberfest. Biketoberfest runs October 15–18 in Volusia and Flagler counties, and 125,000 visitors are expected for the event. Main Street is widely considered the heart of the rally, making the timing of the shooting especially jarring for the local business community.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said the shooting was unrelated to the event and noted that additional patrols have already started working along Main Street as tourists arrive. As motorcycles rolled into town, longtime visitors said the October 12 shooting outside Froggy's Saloon has not shaken their confidence in the event's safety.

Investigation Ongoing as a Third Party Remains Unaccounted For

Police confirmed that the two primary parties exchanged gunfire, and a bystander then pulled out a firearm and fired multiple rounds as well. It was not immediately known if the bystander has been charged. Much of the publicly released affidavit was redacted because the investigation remains active. That detail — a third armed individual opening fire in a crowded bar district in the middle of the night — underscores just how dangerous the situation became.

With Biketoberfest now underway and tens of thousands of visitors flooding Daytona Beach's Main Street corridor, the pressure is on local law enforcement to demonstrate that the area is secure. Whether additional arrests follow, and what charges the bystander-shooter may ultimately face, will be closely watched as investigators continue piecing together exactly how a bar argument escalated into one of the most chaotic shootouts the strip has seen in recent memory.