Police: 2 arrested in connection with stabbing of Sanford restaurant manager

SANFORD, Fla. — Two men were arrested Monday evening in connection with the stabbing of a restaurant manager during a robbery attempt, officials with the Sanford Police Department said Tuesday.

Alfredo Jackson Rivas, 33, and Guy Junior Hughes, 47, approached Larry "Pic" Picardat shortly before 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Wolfy's on Lake Monroe near North Palmetto Avenue and East Seminole Boulevard, police spokesman Ronny Neal said.

Investigators said one of the men ordered Picardat to open the restaurant’s safe at gunpoint, but he refused to do so. Picardat told detectives that he thought the gun was fake.

Police said that while Picardat wrestled the gunman, the other suspect stabbed him a combined 10 times -- in the neck, the lower midsection and the leg.

Picardat called 911 for help after he was stabbed.

He was taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital, where he continues to recover.

Customers described Picardat as a nice and hardworking man.

Police said Picardat was in an office waiting for a cleaning crew to arrive at the time of the stabbing. They said one of the suspects might have been a former employee at the restaurant.

Rivas and Hughes were booked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility on premeditated murder charges, jail records said. Both are being held without bail.

The pair was captured, thanks in part to tips from the public.

Investigators believe one of the men was an ex-employee of Picardat. Melissa Byers, Wolfy's employee, said Rivas used to work at the bar, but hasn't been there in five months.

Cox Media Group