VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — We are now hearing what a 13-year-old Volusia County student told officers moments after he was attacked by a homeless man Tuesday while he was waiting at a school bus stop.
According to newly-released body camera video, he told officers he saw a man walking down the sidewalk. “Then he approaches me and starts saying some stuff that I don’t understand. And he grabbed me and pulled his knife out,” he told police.
According to Deland Police, the suspect was identified as Christopher Schwable.
The student told police Schwable hit him with his fists and knocked him to the ground.
Police noted visible injuries to the boy’s head. The child was able to break free and run home. Authorities say a witness driving by saw Schwable choking the boy and stopped to intervene.
When the Good Samaritan jumped out of his truck, he says Schwable pulled out a knife.
“He has a big a** knife,” the witness said.
The witness told police he grabbed a toolbox from his truck and struck Schwable in the head in self-defense.
Video from the scene shows a pool of blood around Schwable’s head.
Neighbors say the attack has shaken the community.
“It’s a horrible thing that happened so close to the house,” Perfetto said, about the man attacking the boy.
Perfetto says parents are now worried about children waiting at nearby bus stops.
Volusia County School District says they are working closely with law enforcement to increase monitoring at bus stops throughout the area. Schwable remains in the Volusia County Jail on aggravated child abuse and aggravated assault charges.
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