ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County man is facing attempted second-degree murder charges after deputies say he got into an argument with a passenger in a truck, grabbed a long knife and started stabbing the victim.
Yirmi Perez Fernandez, 39, was arrested Tuesday for the incident that happened on Oct. 6 along East Colonial Drive just east of Alafaya Trail.
Recommended Videos
Deputies say the victim received a ride from the driver of a pickup truck with two other passengers in the vehicle. The victim was seated in the back seat next to Perez Fernandez.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Perez Fernandez got into a heated argument with the victim during the ride and at one point asked for the driver to pull over. When the truck stopped, witnesses say Perez Fernandez walked over to the rear passenger door, opened it and started stabbing the victim with a 4-to-6-inch-long knife repeatedly.
The victim tried to get away, but deputies say Perez Fernandez chased the victim down and continued to stab him, even as the driver and the other passenger tried to restrain the suspect.
Deputies say the driver and the other passenger heard Perez Fernandez repeatedly say he was trying to kill the victim.
Deputies say the victim suffered puncture wounds in both of his lungs and had to have his gallbladder and a portion of his spleen removed.
The arrest warrant affidavit said the driver of the pickup truck was a stranger to the victim, but it’s not said whether the victim knew Perez Fernandez or anyone else in the truck before the incident.
Perez Fernandez is in jail without bond.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: