HIALEAH, Fla. – A 24-year-old man was arrested Sunday in connection with a stabbing that occurred Saturday night behind a strip mall in Hialeah.
Hialeah Fire Rescue crews said they received calls for help at a strip mall along the 600 block of East Ninth Street shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday.
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According to an arrest report, surveillance video shows Juan Pablo Velasco, who is homeless, stabbing the victim in the neck, chest and back.
Witnesses told Local 10 News reporter Sanela Sabovic that the victim somehow made his way out of the parking lot and through a gangway and reached a restaurant counter, where he asked for help. His shirt was covered in blood, and he was there for a few minutes, pacing. At one point, he was banging on the counter for help.
Hialeah police said the victim, who is in his 20s, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery for his life-threatening injuries.
According to an arrest report, an officer recognized Velasco from the surveillance video. Police said the victim also identified Velasco as his attacker in a photo and said that he knows him from the area.
A motive for the stabbing is unclear.
Velasco was taken into custody early Sunday for a separate case in which he faces charges of resisting arrest without violence and burglary. He now also faces a charge of attempted second-degree murder.