By Madeleine List
The Charlotte Observer
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A 14-year-old stabbed a deputy six times behind the ear with a pocketknife during an arrest, according to a Florida sheriff’s office.
The teen was riding his bike around a restaurant in Punta Gorda after 2 a.m. on Oct. 6 - outside of curfew hours implemented in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, according to a news release from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
The deputy stopped the teen, who told him he was fishing in the area. But the teen did not have fishing equipment, according to the release.
The teen started to walk away, but then turned around and struck the deputy in the head, causing “substantial bleeding,” the release said.
As the two started to struggle, the deputy radioed for backup. The teen took out a pocket knife and stabbed the deputy six times behind the ear, according to the release.
Punta Gorda is about 180 miles northwest of Miami.
The deputy tased the teen and waited for backup to arrive, the release says.
Paramedics airlifted the deputy to a hospital for treatment. He was in stable condition.
The teen, who was wearing gloves and had a hammer in his backpack, later told investigators that he had been planning on breaking into nearby restaurants, which were closed, according to the release.
The sheriff’s office did not specify whether the teen will be charged.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 28. The storm knocked out power for more than 4 million people, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At least 83 people died in Florida as a result of the hurricane, CNBC reported.
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