April 30, 2008
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

16-YEAR-OLD GIRL ATTACKED BY MAN WITH A KNIFE 

A 16-year-old girl was accosted Wednesday in Deltona by a man with a knife. The girl, who was first approached by the man outside the Deltona Regional Library, was emotionally shaken, but otherwise unharmed. Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies mounted a massive manhunt from the ground and air, but as of early Wednesday afternoon had not located the suspect. 

Deputies were dispatched to the library after receiving a 911 call from a teacher at 12:03 p.m. reporting the attack. The teacher was with a group of school children who were visiting the park when the attack occurred. The victim wasn’t part of the school group. The students were on a hike at the time, but one of the teachers stayed behind and saw the commotion. The victim was visiting the library and out front of the building waiting for a ride when the suspect came up to her and struck up a conversation. The girl said she became uncomfortable when the conversation turned personal and she got up and walked towards the nature preserve behind the library. She said the suspect followed her, and she took off running and that’s when he grabbed her by the shirt and pulled out a knife. The girl said the man promised not to hurt her if she kept quiet. But the girl started to scream instead, catching the teacher’s attention. The man then fled when he realized he had been spotted. The girl’s cell phone was taken during the attack. 

The teacher calmed the girl while telling a Sheriff’s Office dispatcher what had occurred. Deputies began converging on the scene about three minutes after the call came in. Within moments, nearly 20 patrol deputies along with a Sheriff’s Office helicopter and K-9 unit were scouring the area for the suspect. Three nearby schools, Timbercrest Elementary, Deltona Lakes Elementary and Galaxy Middle School, were briefly placed on lockdown as a precaution during the search. By 1 p.m., the lockdown had been lifted at all three schools. 

The suspect was described as an approximately 20-year-old Hispanic man who was about 6’ and 165 pounds and had short hair and a red tattoo on his forearm. The suspect was last seen wearing a red shirt, black jeans and black and red sneakers. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (386) 860-7030 or Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at (888) 277-TIPS.