FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A man stabbed a 15-year-old boy because the victim and the suspect’s girlfriend were in a shoving match as they fought about sexual allegations, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the victim and the 17-year-old girl had been exchanging messages back and forth on Snapchat that included at least one stabbing threat for about a week.
Recommended Videos
[TRENDING: Data scientist Rebekah Jones arrested in Florida | Disney World not selling any new annual passes | Orlando police search for missing 12-year-old girl]
The arrest report did not provide details about the sexual allegations.
On Sunday around 6:30 p.m., the 15-year-old boy and the 17-year-old girl continued to argue on Snapchat while they were both at James F. Holland Memorial Park in Palm Coast, according to authorities.
The argument escalated and the teens began shoving each other and one of them slapped the other across the face, a news release said.
Deputies said Jared Wayne Douglas, 19, saw the boy fighting with his girlfriend and intervened. As Douglas was physically fighting with the teenage boy, he stabbed the victim in the chest with a silver pocket knife, records show.
“My friend just got stabbed by some person,” a 911 caller said. The witness said the victim was stabbed in the chest.
Authorities said Douglas drove home in his red convertible BMW after the stabbing and asked one of his friends to take the knife.
“They got up in my friend’s face and my friend pushed her away and they started ganging up on him,” the 911 caller said.
Records show Douglas was arrested at his home about 10 minutes after the incident.
The victim was airlifted to a hospital in Orlando to be treated for his injuries, which are believed to be non-life-threatening.
“This situation should have never escalated to the point of a juvenile needing to be airlifted to the hospital for a stab wound over a social media fight. Really?” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a news release. “Thankfully this was an isolated incident and our team did a great job in quickly pulling resources, videos and interviewing witnesses to track down the suspects and take the defendant into custody. We hope the victim has a speedy recovery. Parents, talk to your kids and teach them that violence is not a solution to an argument.”
Douglas is facing a charge of aggravated battery with permanent disfigurement while armed.