DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A man is dead after Daytona Beach Police say he stabbed an officer in the face at a Sunoco gas station. The incident happened around 9 a.m. on Thursday on W International Speedway Boulevard.

What You Need To Know

  •  Suspect pronounced dead at Halifax Health

  •  Chief Young said he stabbed officer in the face

  •  Chief Young shared he had already been tresspassed from the gas station earlier that morning but returned

  • Officer is expected to make a full recovery 

“They attempted to detain him and the fight was on,” said Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young while at the scene. 

Young detailed the moments leading up to an officer being stabbed in the face, and later firing at his attacker.

Young said police had already asked the suspect to leave this Sunoco gas station earlier that morning. 

“They have the right as the business to trespass, they exercised that right, police gave him a warning he returned to the property, they called us back,” said Young.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood shared that one of his sergeants was at the gas station when employees alerted him to what was going on. When the Daytona Police officer arrived, they approached the suspect together. That’s when they say things turned violent, with the suspect pulling a knife and stabbing the officer.

“He fires two shots, and the suspect has passed away as a result of those gunshots,” said Young. 

Chitwood claimed it all happened in the blink of an eye.

“My sergeant says he never saw the knife, never saw it, so just imagine not seeing it. You could end up dead, you could end up stabbed in the eye, anything,” said Chitwood. 

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the shooting, but Sheriff Chitwood says the officer and sergeant did exactly what they were supposed to do.

“Thank God that the Daytona officer is going to recover, and I think we should be really proud of the way these guys acted. I mean, this is what they were called to do. They did it, they did their job, said Chitwood”

 ​Officials have not yet released the identities of the officer and the suspect. The officer is expected to make a full recovery. Officials have also not released details on why the suspect was trespassed.