An axe-wielding man allegedly stormed an Ocala car wash at closing time before an 18-year-old employee trained in mixed martial arts tackled him and held him until deputies arrived.
Marion County deputies say the confrontation unfolded Sunday night as two brothers finished shutting down the car wash for the evening.
Investigators identified the suspect as 36-year-old Bryce Thayer. Authorities say he approached the workers while carrying an axe attached to his backpack.
Deputies say Leodan Pino, 18, and his 16-year-old brother were locking doors and preparing to leave when the suspect appeared on the property.
Security video released by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office shows the man walking toward the brothers moments before the situation escalated.
Investigators say the workers told him to leave the property. Deputies reported the suspect became angry and advanced toward the teens while holding the weapon.
Pino described the moment the encounter began turning dangerous.
“I was locking up all the doors, and I heard some screaming, someone yelling something,” Pino recalled while speaking with FOX 35 Orlando. “He’s obviously not in the right state of mind. … He walks up to the tunnel, and that’s when I tell him, ‘You have to leave, man. You got to leave.’”
Pino said the suspect then revealed the axe. The weapon had been clipped to the man’s backpack before he allegedly pulled it out and pointed it at the worker.
Video footage shows Pino lunging forward while his younger brother grabbed the axe and wrestled it away. The older brother then relied on his martial arts training to subdue the suspect.
“Once he lowered, that’s when I shot the take-down, and I got on top of him and I controlled the situation,” Pino explained while recounting the struggle. “Once I realized he wasn’t letting go, that’s when I threw a couple elbows until he was incapacitated.”
Pino said he restrained the suspect using grappling techniques while waiting for deputies.
“I got him to his back, put him in a body triangle, held a rear naked choke on him and waited until the cops got there,” he added.
Deputies arrived shortly after the struggle and placed the suspect under arrest.
Booking photos released after the incident show significant bruising on the suspect’s face.
Authorities believe the injuries occurred during the fight with the teen employee.
Investigators later searched the suspect during the arrest. Deputies reported finding a glass pipe commonly used for methamphetamine.
Court records show Thayer faces two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.
Authorities also filed a charge for possession of drug paraphernalia. Jail records indicate the suspect remains held on an $11,000 bond.
Pino had recently enlisted in the military before the encounter occurred. The teenager credited both his training and faith for helping him control the situation.
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“I’m very thankful that God gave me the opportunity and gave me the strength to be able to control that situation,” he remarked.
The young man also reflected on protecting his younger sibling during the confrontation.
“I’m thankful that I was the one closing on my brother and no one else was because I’m not too sure if any other of my coworkers would have done the same thing as I would have,” he added. “I’m just happy that I was able to protect my brother.”
Another violent confrontation involving a young family member unfolded in Alabama where a 13-year-old boy intervened during a domestic violence incident.
Authorities in Baldwin County arrested 32-year-old Daniel Hernandez-Lopez after deputies responded to a home in Foley around 8 p.m. Monday.
Investigators say the suspect attempted to strangle his wife during an argument inside the house.
Deputies reported the woman managed to escape the attack long enough to alert her son and call for help.
“He was threatening to kill everyone in the house because he was high on drugs and he was drunk,” the woman explained while describing the terrifying encounter. “So I was able to sneak away and give my son my phone to call the police.”
The mother reportedly told the 13-year-old to stay inside the home until officers arrived.
The boy refused to leave her alone during the confrontation. “He wasn’t going anywhere,” the mother noted while recounting the moment. “He was worried about me.”
Deputies say Hernandez-Lopez then turned toward the teenager. Investigators reported the suspect grabbed a bicycle and attempted to use it as a weapon against the boy.
Authorities say the suspect then swung at the teen. The boy dodged the strike and fought back.
The mother described the moment her son stopped the attacker. “I was scared because I thought he was going to get hurt, but he had the situation under control,” she recalled.
Investigators say the teen punched Hernandez-Lopez several times in the face.
The blows knocked the suspect unconscious before deputies arrived at the home.
Authorities say Hernandez-Lopez appeared intoxicated and possibly under the influence of narcotics during the encounter.
Deputies arrested him at the scene. He was booked into the Baldwin County Jail the following day.
Authorities charged Hernandez-Lopez with domestic violence strangulation.
Violent incidents involving family members have also surfaced in other parts of the country in recent cases.
In New York City, prosecutors say a Bronx man carried out a deadly knife attack inside an apartment that left a mother dead and her teenage son injured.
Authorities identified the suspect as 45-year-old Juan Rivas. Investigators say the suspect stabbed 42-year-old Yesenia Hall early Saturday morning.
Her daughter Jaylah Maldonado described the horror of the attack. “My mother’s last words to me were, ‘I’m sorry. I’m dying. I’m sorry,’” Maldonado wrote while describing the tragedy.
Police say the daughter attempted to rush into the bedroom to help. Her younger brother held her back while the suspect attacked.
“To spare the gruesome details, my mother and brother were struck with a sharp weapon multiple times as I witnessed and was unable to help in any way due to my brother pushing me away, saving me from the altercation,” Maldonado explained.
Investigators say the teenage boy was stabbed several times during the confrontation.
Emergency responders transported both victims to Lincoln Medical Center.
Hall later died from her injuries while the wounded teen remained hospitalized in stable condition.
Authorities say the suspect fled the apartment after the attack. Officers located him hours later and placed him under arrest.
Prosecutors charged Rivas with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment.
Court officials ordered the suspect held without bail.
Another domestic violence case unfolded on Long Island where prosecutors say a man killed his estranged wife while their teenage daughter tried to intervene.
Authorities indicted 57-year-old Marcos Aurelio Marques-Leal in the death of Adriana Barbosa.
Investigators say the suspect smashed a glass door with a planter before forcing his way into the Farmingdale home.
Prosecutors reported the suspect violated an existing order of protection when he arrived.
Authorities say the victim and her daughter locked themselves inside a bedroom and called 911. Investigators allege the suspect stabbed Barbosa repeatedly in the head and neck.
Officials say the 16-year-old daughter attempted to stop the attack and suffered cuts to her hands.
Authorities say the suspect also stabbed himself during the incident but survived. Emergency crews transported everyone to Stony Brook University Hospital.
Doctors pronounced Barbosa dead soon after arrival. Prosecutors charged Marques-Leal with murder, burglary, endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated criminal contempt.
