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Ormond Beach teen's face slashed in knife attack; suspect arrested: Police

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Published  September 19, 2024 8:31pm EDT
Volusia County
FOX 35 Orlando

Ormond Beach teen's face slashed in knife attack: Police

An Ormond Beach man has been arrested, accused of slashing a 17-year-old’s face with a knife on Wednesday night. RJ Phifer, 34, was placed in custody near the scene of the incident on Sunny Palm Drive. He has been charged with aggravated child abuse.

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - An Ormond Beach man has been arrested, accused of slashing a 17-year-old’s face with a knife on Wednesday night.

RJ Phifer, 34, was placed in custody near the scene of the incident on Sunny Palm Drive. He has been charged with aggravated child abuse.

Body camera footage shows the moment a deputy approached him. During the encounter, an item was seemingly dropped from his hand. According to the responding deputy, it was a knife.

"He had it on him. He said, ‘Let me drop my knife,’ took it out and dropped it," the arresting deputy can be heard in the footage.

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The 911 call from the boy’s grandmother could be heard by the officers as they responded. 

In the call, she explained she was unsure of the reasoning behind the alleged attack. She described the wound as a five-inch cut on the boy’s face.

He was rushed to the hospital, and according to someone close to the situation, he is expected to recover, though there is significant damage to his face near his nose.

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Volusia CountyCrime and Public Safety