DAVENPORT, Fla. – A 29-year-old man was arrested Monday after he repeatedly stabbed a clerk at a convenience store in Davenport, police said.
Davenport police said officers responded to the RaceTrac at 38425 Highway 27 in Polk County around 4:40 a.m.
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According to a news release, officers found a female clerk who had been stabbed multiple times.
Police said the suspect, identified as Marc Tucker, entered the store and started looking at various items and visiting the restroom. The clerk, who does not know Tucker, asked if she could assist him, to which he declined, police said.
As the clerk prepared to stock some food items at the store, “Tucker approached her from behind and began repeatedly stabbing her in the back and side,” according to the release.
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Police said the clerk ran from Tucker, but slipped and fell at which time the suspect stabbed her several more times in the chest.
Officers said the victim physically resisted Tucker and was able to escape a second time. Police said Tucker then fled the store into a nearby wooded area.
According to the release, Tucker later exited the woods and was arrested without incident.
Police said the clerk was transported by Polk County Emergency Medical Services to a hospital with nine stab wounds. She is expected to survive, officials said.
According to officers, other clerks were present in the store but did not witness the attack. They became aware of the stabbing after hearing the victim screaming and observing Tucker leave the store, police said.
“This was simply an unprovoked, random attack for no apparent reason other than the suspect, Marc Tucker, committing an evil act. The fact that the store clerk resisted and fought her attacker certainly facilitated her survival. We are praying for a quick recovery of the store clerk, and will do all we can to ensure Mr. Tucker is held accountable for his senseless actions,” Davenport Police Chief Steve Parker said.
Tucker, who police said is currently homeless, faces charges of attempted first-degree murder.
According to the release, he has arrests dating back to 2013 that include domestic violence battery, assault, theft, and resisting officer. Tucker was released from a Florida prison in January 2023 after serving less than a year of a 20-month sentence for multiple counts of battery on law enforcement officer, police said.
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