Crime & SafetyLocal News

Request for Pants Pull-Up Triggers Knife Attack Arrest

After an exchange at a WaWa store, when a customer told him he needed to pull up his pants, a Coral Springs man was later arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after attacking him with a knife.
On January 31, Coral Springs Police responded to an aggravated assault call from the WaWa gas station at 7305 West Sample Road. They spoke to a victim who claimed a man he had an earlier encounter with inside the store followed him and attacked him with a butcher knife.
According to the report, the victim had a verbal argument with a man, later identified as Roel Stupart, 29, after asking Stupart to pull up his pants because he was exposing himself to other customers. The victim said Stupart became furious, began cursing at him, and warned him that “He had something in his car for him.”
Surveillance video of the incident was reviewed by police, showing Stupart leaving the store, pumping gas into his car, and then reaching into his backseat for something that can not be viewed on the camera. Video shows Stupart then quickly getting in the driver’s seat of the car and speeding away.
The victim told police he was walking home with his dog on Rock Island Road when he noticed Stupart pull up behind him, then get out of the car with a large silver kitchen knife. The victim told police he attempted to continue walking, but Stupart cut him off on the sidewalk and swung the knife in his direction in the form of an “X.”
According to the report, the victim said he dodged the attack and attempted to kick Stupart but missed. After a few brief moments of tense exchanges, the victim said Stupart jumped back in his vehicle and left.
After interviewing the victim, police quickly put out an alert with a description of Stupart’s car to police cruisers in the area.
Police say later that night, Stupart called 911 himself and described a different course of events, claiming he had swung the knife towards the victim but acted in self-defense. Officers arrived at Stupart’s residence, and he agreed to come outside for an interview.
While being searched, Stupart told officers the knife they were looking for was inside of his vehicle. Officers located the knife that fit the description of the one used in the attack. Stupart could not explain how he acted in self-defense, nor why he re-engaged the victim after an encounter at the gas station that was caught on video.
Stupart was arrested and transported to the Broward County Mail Jail. He was later released on a $500 bond.

Alfred Duncan

Alfred Duncan is a senior editor at The South Florida Daily, where he oversees our coverage of politics, misinformation, health and economics. Alfred is a former reporter and editor for BuzzFeed News, National Geographic and USA Today.

Related Articles

Back to top button