SANFORD, Fla. – Two men were arrested Monday night in connection with the stabbing of a manager at a Sanford restaurant over the weekend, police said.
Guy Hughes and Alfredo Rivas were arrested on charges of attempted homicide and robbery with a weapon.
Sanford police said officers were called to Wolfy's Bar and Grill on North Palmetto Avenue at 7:19 a.m. Sunday after the manager, Larry Picardat, was stabbed.
Picardat told police that he was sitting at his desk next to the safe while preparing for the restaurant to open when someone, later identified as Hughes, put a gun to his head and said, "Give me all your money."
Picardat said he thought someone was pulling a prank on him, so he replied, "I don't have any money."
Hughes repeated himself, and Picardat realized it was not a joke, a police report said.
Picardat wrestled the gun away from Hughes, but Rivas stabbed him multiple times with a knife "in a very violent manner," the arrest report said. Rivas also attempted to slit Picardat's throat, according to police.
"They had a gun, but I think it was just a cap gun, or a BB gun. The other one had a knife, stabbed me a few times," Picardat told a 911 operator.
Picardat was stabbed 10 times during the struggle: three times near his neck, six times in his midsection and once in the right leg, police said. The gun was later determined to be fake.
Surveillance video from the restaurant and witness statements helped police identify Hughes and Rivas as suspects, the report said.
Rivas' hoodie opened up during the stabbing and his face was visible multiple times in surveillance video from the incident, police said. Wolfy's employees who watched the video identified Rivas as a former employee. The details of his employment were not available.
Surveillance video from a nearby marina showed a red Honda CRV at Wolfy's around the time of the incident. Police determined that vehicle had been reported stolen out of Orange County and that Hughes was a suspect in the case.
Police said they located the vehicle at Capsmith Inc. in Sanford, which is located across from Hughes' home.
The Sanford Police Department Neighborhood Response Unit located Hughes and Rivas outside Hughes' home around 7 p.m. Monday, and they were taken into custody, according to the arrest report.
Picardat was taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital, where he underwent surgery, officers said.