ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County deputies arrested a man Monday after an employee was stabbed inside a Captain D’s restaurant on East Colonial Drive. Justin Edward Richards was taken into custody near the scene of the attack, which occurred Monday afternoon.
The stabbing took place at approximately 12:30 p.m. at the restaurant located at 10414 East Colonial Drive. Deputies responded to the business following reports that a man had entered claiming he killed his girlfriend before attacking an employee with a knife.
The victim sustained a laceration on the left side of her body between her lower rib cage and hip. A responding deputy provided medical aid until the Orange County Fire Department arrived and transported her to the Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment. The victim’s daughter accompanied her to the hospital.
Witness Rachel Young was eating lunch at the restaurant when she saw a man wearing a black shirt and a purple backpack enter and go into the bathroom. Young told deputies the man exited the bathroom and approached an employee while yelling and asking if she wanted to fight. According to Young’s statement to law enforcement, the man then pulled out a knife and stabbed the employee before fleeing the business. Young later positively identified Richards as the individual who committed the stabbing during a identification procedure.
Another witness, Michelle Cole, observed the suspect exit the bathroom with a knife and yell at employees and a young girl. Cole told deputies the man asked an employee if she wanted to fight before stabbing her on her side. Cole attempted to record the incident on her phone and provided deputies with a video that captured a glimpse of the suspect fleeing north toward a nearby Aldi’s.
Restaurant manager Candice Oliver was notified of the suspect’s presence by her juvenile daughter. The daughter reported the man claimed he had killed and raped women in the past. Oliver confronted the man at the bathroom and told him to leave. When the man exited and pulled a weapon, Oliver told deputies she believed it was a firearm and crawled toward the rear of the building while directing others to safety.
Deputies located Richards near the intersection of Park Manor Drive and Genevieve Street while searching the area. According to law enforcement, Richards was holding a large knife when he was found but dropped the weapon as deputies approached. The knife was collected by deputies as evidence.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Unit are continuing the investigation.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.