Local police have arrested a suspect in the stabbing of a man as he slept on the ground outside a bank building in Deltona.
Volusia Sheriff’s detectives arrested David Vazquez, of Deltona, after identifying him with the help of surveillance video footage from the area of the incident.
According to law enforcement, the attack was reported around 2:12am on April 8th outside the Bank of America at 1241 E. Normandy Blvd. The victim, a 73-year-old man with no permanent address, was asleep near the bank’s entrance when he woke up to the masked suspect stabbing him. Police said the victim sustained a stab wound to the chest and multiple defensive wounds to his hands and forearms as he grabbed the blade of the knife and fought off his attacker.
Responding deputies arrived within 3 minutes of the victim’s 911 call, worked quickly to stop his bleeding, set up a perimeter around the area and deployed a K-9 unit to search for a suspect. The victim provided a description, telling detectives he was able to grab his assailant and wrestle him to the ground, causing the mask to briefly pull away from the suspect’s face. The suspect seemed startled and fled northbound from the bank.
The victim, who said he knew of no one who had any reason to attack him, was transported to an area hospital for further treatment of injuries that were significant but ultimately not life-threatening.
At the scene, the K-9 unit tracked north through a nearby Cumberland Farms gas station parking lot, where detectives later obtained video surveillance that captured a subject matching the description provided by the victim.
Detectives used that video and other footage to identify the suspect, Vazquez, who has a distinct walk/limp, and a suspect vehicle, a black 2012 Dodge Journey. 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.
Deputies and detectives executed a search warrant at Vazquez’s address and discovered a pair of blue jeans inside a washing machine. The jeans matched those worn by the suspect in the surveillance videos and were noticeably splattered with blood on both legs. Detectives also found a jacket, which was also seen in the videos, hanging in a closet and noticed a large red stain on its front. Also collected from the home were several knives and a beanie/ski mask.
Vazquez, who has a criminal history that includes 36 felony arrests, denied committing the attack. No specific motive has been determined, and no connection to the victim is known. However, Vazquez was described as often having sudden outbursts. He was charged with attempted murder and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail with no bond.
A dozen Volusia Sheriff’s Office detectives in Deltona worked this case around the clock alongside members of the Deltona Crime Suppression Team and the Deltona Narcotics Enforcement Team to solve this violent Central Florida crime.
