Coral Springs man accused of stabbing parents after smoking THC vape pen
A 21-year-old Coral Springs man stabbed his mother and father at their home Saturday after he smoked THC, the main compound in cannabis that affects the brain, from a vape pen and took off his clothes, according to police.
As of Wednesday, Alexander Figueroa remains in Broward County jail with no bond on attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charges.
According to Coral Springs police, the bizarre incident began with Figueroa vaping with his cousin while taking a walk around 4:40 a.m. He asked his cousin, “Where do you want to go, heaven or hell?” according to his arrest report.
He then took off his shirt and began acting aggressively toward his cousin, yelling at him, then grabbing his cell phone and smashing it on the ground, police said.
The cousin then went back to the Figueroas’ home on Northwest 114th Street Drive and told his parents what was happening. Figueroa’s mother drove her Tesla around the neighborhood trying to find her son. The father searched for him in his SUV, according to police, who redacted the parents’ names from the report.
The mother and cousin convinced Figueroa to get into the Tesla, but, once inside, he tried kicking out the window in the backseat, police said.
When they arrived back at the house, Figueroa ran inside through the garage and locked the door behind him, according to the report.
His parents looked through the window and saw him naked and screaming, the report states. He then ran outside and attacked his mother, stabbing and punching her, according to police.
His father tried to stop him, and he began stabbing him, police said. When his mom tried to stop him, he again repeatedly punched her, the report states.
Figueroa then turned his attention to the family dog, which gave the mother a window of opportunity to run to a neighbor’s home and call 911, police said.
A younger son let the father and cousin into the house, and all three took refuge in a bedroom.
The parents survived the attack, but when police found the father, his wounds were so severe that his bowels were exposed, police said. The mother had lacerations to her head.
Police found the knife in the middle of the street with the handle separated from the blade.
The father told police that Figueroa “had been having some mental issues for a while.”
Figueroa’s attorneys Susan Lawson and Krista Richman, of the Rossen Law Firm, released the following statement to the Herald.
“This is an extremely hard time for the Figueroa family. We are in the process of conducting our own investigation as to the circumstances that unfolded that night. The entire family stands by Alexander and we are confident that this very unfortunate incident was the result of a mental health crisis. We look forward to defending Alexander and working together with his family.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2024 at 3:47 PM.
