Asst. principal punched in face, attacked with box cutter

PORT ORANGE, Fla. — A Port Orange school was locked down and classes were canceled after an assistant principal was attacked Friday morning, authorities said.

Officials said a transient may have been startled when he confronted assistant principal Adrian Bronson at Sweetwater Elementary on Victoria Gardens Boulevard as Bronson was conducting his daily security check of the buildings and doors on campus.

Police said Bronson, 40, was punched in the face and had his shirt sliced with a box cutter before the man ran off into a wooded area near a Walmart.

The assistant principal's injuries are minor, officers said.

Police said they are searching the area for the suspect.

Although school was not yet in session and students had not arrived, Port Orange police placed the school on lockdown initially as they searched the campus and buildings.

The decision to cancel classes was made based on the in depth area search the police were conducting in a heavily wooded area surrounding the school, officials said.

Bronson described the suspect as a white man with a transient-like appearance, having a scruffy beard and wearing a green jacket.

WFTV