DAVENPORT, Fla. — The Davenport Police Department said a RaceTrac clerk was stabbed nine times early Monday morning in an "unprovoked, random attack." The suspect has since been captured and is charged with attempted first-degree murder.
Police said it happened at 4:40 a.m. at a RaceTrac on Highway 27 in Davenport. The victim, who was not identified by the police, is being treated at a local hospital and is expected to survive her injuries, Chief Steve Parker said.
“This young lady was very lucky. It could have ended a lot worse," Parker said. "I’m just thankful to God that she wasn’t more seriously hurt.”
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The surveillance video below shows part of the attack. The clerk is expected to be okay after she was stabbed multiple times.)
According to Chief Parker, the suspect, Marc Caseaf Tucker, 29, attacked the victim as she was restocking a food cart cabinet. Police said Tucker approached the victim from behind and repeatedly stabbed her in the back and side.
In the midst of the attack, police said the victim slipped and fell as she tried to run from Tucker. According to police, Tucker stabbed her several more times in the chest, but she continued to resist.
Police said the victim was ultimately able to escape, and Tucker ran from the store into the nearby area.
Nate Wooten, the owner of Champions Gate Karate — which is located across the street from the RaceTrac — said his surveillance camera captured Tucker in his back parking lot. He alerted police.
Tucker was arrested without incident a short time after. He's charged with attempted first-degree murder.
“I mean, it’s pretty horrific," Wooten said. "If they didn’t catch him...who knows what would have happened to the next person.”
According to Chief Parker, the victim should be released from the hospital Tuesday. He said she is a mother of three, including an infant. Officers, who sometimes grab a snack at the RaceTrac, were familiar with her.
“For that to happen to somebody like that they know, they take it personal — they take it personal," Parker said.
Police said there were other clerks in the store at the time of the attack but they didn't see it and only became aware when they heard the victim scream. Police said the other clerks immediately helped the victim and rendered aid until EMS arrived.
Police said Tucker is from Winter Haven but is currently homeless. They said his previous arrests date back to 2013 and include domestic violence battery, assault, theft and resisting an officer.
According to online criminal records, Tucker was arrested in June 2021 for misusing 911, punching two Winter Haven officers who responded to the scene, and reaching for one officer's gun.
Though he was initially found mentally incompetent to stand trial in October 2021, he was later sentenced to 20 months in prison in March of last year. He was released, however, in January 2023.
Now, he is accused of another violent crime, and Wooten hopes Tucker will serve a longer sentence this time.
“Someone really should be stepping in and making sure he’s not back on the streets," he said.
