Man arrested after allegedly crashing into home, attacking occupants, officials say
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A man was arrested Wednesday after authorities say he crashed a vehicle into a Brevard County home, entered the residence, and stabbed two people before being taken into custody.
The residents told authorities that the man demanded keys to a vehicle and when they refused, he armed himself with a kitchen knife and cut a woman and her son, an arrest report said.
The suspect, 31-year-old Jadarius West of Orlando, barricaded himself in the home before Brevard County deputies ultimately took him into custody, the sheriff's office said.
What we know:
Authorities with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Florida Highway Patrol responded to a reported hit-and-run on Interstate 95 involving a silver Subaru around 3:30 p.m., July 29, when they received reports of a vehicle crashing into an occupied home.
According to an arrest affidavit, the suspect – later identified as West – entered the home through a sliding glass door on the back porch after crashing into a chain link fence that led into the backyard. The residents told deputies that West was yelling and demanding keys to a vehicle. When they refused him, he grabbed two butcher knives from the kitchen, the arrest affidavit said.
The mom had a minor cut to her right palm and her son, who deputies saw holding a napkin to his neck, had an inch-sized gash under his ear, the probable cause affidavit said. A third person inside the home was not injured, but fell on the floor when trying to get out of the home, deputies said.
The two injured victims were treated for their injuries.
Deputies said all three victims said they were in fear for their lives.
Stabbing suspect linked to hit-and-run: Deputies
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper investigated the original hit-and-run incident after noticing West's silver Subaru Outback had fresh collision damage on the left side, the arrest report said.
The victim of the hit-and-run crash told the trooper he had been exiting I-95 when a Subaru driver hit his vehicle on the back left. According to the trooper's report, the damage to the victim's vehicle matched the damage on the Subaru's front right.
Suspect barricaded in the home: Deputies
West, who had barricaded himself in the master bedroom when authorities arrived, broke a window and surrendered to deputies on the scene, the sheriff's office said.
List of charges
West was booked into the Brevard County Jail on multiple charges, including armed burglary of an occupied dwelling, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal mischief, driving with a suspended license, and leaving the scene of a crash.
He was transported to a medical center and was medically cleared before being taken to jail, deputies said.
He's being held without bond, the sheriff's office reported.
The Source: This story was written based on information provided by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office on August 1, 2026.