Woman held at knifepoint in bathroom as officers wait to enter, Florida cops say

Two officers failed to take action by waiting outside a gas station bathroom where a woman was being held at knifepoint, Florida authorities said.

One of those officers has now resigned, Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith announced May 22.

McClatchy News is not identifying the officers because they are not facing criminal charges.

On June 1, 2024, law enforcement received a call about an injured Race Trac employee who was locked in a bathroom with a man who was believed to be homeless, according to Smith.

Body-worn camera footage shows the first officer arrive and speak with witnesses. They told him the woman was cut by a man with a knife and was being held hostage in a bathroom at the end of the hallway, the chief said.

The victim could be heard yelling for help, but the officer made no move to go down the hall and enter the bathroom, according to the footage.

Then a second but less senior officer arrived, Smith said.

The second officer asked the first what to do, and the first told him they were going to wait, according to the chief.

They yelled “Sanford police” but didn’t make any advances toward the bathroom door as they waited for backup.

Shortly after the third and fourth officers arrived, they heard the woman yelling for help again, and the fourth officer proceeded down the hall, the chief said.

He opened the door and entered the bathroom, yelling at the man inside to drop the knife, body camera footage shows. They subdued the man, and the woman had “severe” cuts to her neck and mouth, Smith said.

Video of the incident released from a public records request began circulating online March 2, and the first two officers were placed on administrative leave March 3.

“The first two officers essentially had every responsibility to go in based on our policies and procedures,” Smith concluded.

An internal affairs investigation found the first officer failed to respond to an active assailant, and while the chief was terminating him, the officer handed in a letter of resignation, which the chief accepted.

Smith said the second officer, a probationary officer following instructions from a more veteran officer, was suspended for five days without pay, had his probationary period extended and went through additional training.

Another officer resigned for a different reason, with Smith saying the officer was heard on body camera footage making a derogatory comment about the accused assailant’s mental health.

The officers’ supervisors were also disciplined after the investigation found they failed to follow policy and report up the chain of command about the incident.

“The failure was is that they believed the information had been sent up,” Smith said. “The information had never reached my office to that point.”

He said it should have come to his attention earlier, but once it did, the department acted.

“I will assure you there will be no more hesitations with that,” Smith said.

Sanford is part of the Orlando metropolitan area.