VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A suspect has been arrested in the stabbing of a homeless man as he slept on the ground outside of a bank in Deltona, deputies said.
On Friday, Volusia County deputies arrested 54-year-old David Vazquez of Deltona after identifying him with the help of surveillance video footage from the area of the incident.
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The attack happened Saturday, April 8 around 2 a.m. outside of the Bank of America on Normandy Boulevard.
According to deputies, the victim, a 73-year-old man, was asleep near the bank’s entrance when he woke up to the suspect stabbing him in the chest. The victim also received multiple defensive wounds to his hands and forearms fighting off his attacker.
When deputies arrived, they treated the victim’s wounds, set up a perimeter and used K-9 units to search for the suspect.
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The victim told detectives he was able to see the suspect’s face when his mask came off during the attack and struggle.
A K-9 unit tracked the suspect to a nearby Cumberland Farms, where detectives later obtained video surveillance video that showed a subject matching the description provided by the victim.
Based on the video, investigators identified the suspect and his vehicle and on Friday, deputies located Vazquez driving that vehicle in Deltona and took him into custody on unrelated charges of failure of a convicted felon to properly register.
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A search warrant for Vazquez’s address led to the discovery of a pair of blue jeans inside a washing machine that matched those worn by the suspect in the surveillance videos and were noticeably splattered with blood on both legs. Detectives also found a jacket - also seen in the videos - hanging in a closet and noticed a large red stain on its front.
Vazquez, who has a criminal history that includes 36 felony arrests, denied committing the attack.
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He was charged with attempted murder and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail with no bond.
No motive has been determined, and no connection to the victim is known, deputies said.
The victim was transported to the hospital for further treatment of his injuries which were significant but ultimately not life-threatening.
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