Two coworkers were fighting on the job in Florida. Then came the box cutter, cops say
Two coworkers had a confrontation in central Florida on Saturday. One ended up in the hospital — the other in handcuffs.
According to a police report from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to reports of a stabbing at a home construction site in an unincorporated part of Davenport at around 5 p.m.
A witness told the officers that a man had been transported to a local hospital after being stabbed in the neck and chest by a coworker named Nelson Garcia, who had already fled the premises.
The witness explained that the coworkers were in a verbal dispute, and Garcia — who he said had been drinking — pulled out a box cutter and went on the attack.
When asked what fueled the attacker’s rage, the witness said that he thought it was because the victim had asked him to get him water.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 and aviation teams soon tracked down Garcia, who still had the box cutter in his possession nearby. The 22-year-old admitted to deputies that he had engaged in a “verbal dispute” with the victim, but did not remember the reason the argument escalated.
Based on the investigation, probable cause was established to charge the suspect with attempted first degree murder with a weapon, the affidavit read.
In a follow-up press conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd noted that Garcia, who is not a U.S. citizen, was arrested last August for not having a valid driver’s license.
“This is the second time in a year that Garcia, who should not even be in the country, has been arrested,” Judd said. “In 2020, we notified ICE when he was booked into our jail and they picked him up. Now he’s back, trying to murder our citizens. Luckily, the victim wasn’t killed and should make a full recovery.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 7:06 PM.
