Suspect sought after 3 slashed with machete at homeless camp in Palm Bay

Suspect sought in machete attack at homeless camp

Several people were stabbed with a machete in Palm Bay on Thursday night. A suspect with a large knife is still on the run.

PALM BAY, Fla. - Several people were stabbed with a machete in Palm Bay on Thursday night. A suspect with a large knife is still on the run.

It happened around 9 p.m., near the Habitat for Humanity on Babcock Street. Police say there are known homeless camps in the woods nearby, and detectives believe the crime was only isolated to the camp.

FOX 35’s Esther Bower spoke with nearby gas station owners off camera, who say they have 15 to 30 homeless people coming into their store every day.

"It’s a shame it’s happening," said local animal trapper, James Dean.

Unfortunately, the crime is a shame but not surprising to Dean. He’s hired by landowners to clear out homeless camps across Brevard County.

"I never know if somebody is going to have a weapon," said Dean.

Someone had a weapon at the camp on Thursday last night. Palm Bay police say three people were slashed on their head, hand and leg by someone with a machete.

"You don’t know what these people are thinking, what’s their mind frame," said Patrick, who shops near the area.

Palm Bay police say the victims will survive, but now no one’s cooperating. Because of this, detectives don’t have a description of a suspect and can't make an arrest.

"They're all trying to live and fight for what they have," said Patrick.

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He thinks the homelessness issue is getting worse.

"They just go from one area of woods to another," he said.

He's not alone. Homeless experts are also concerned.

"It was a crisis when I got here. That crisis has just expanded," said Scott Billue, who founded Matthew’s Hope Ministries.

His resource centers in both Orange and Brevard Counties try to help the homeless. He says this machete attack is a mental health problem.

"Typically, someone who’s mentally stable is not going to take a machete or knife and start stabbing people," said the expert.

The homeless outreach coordinator doesn’t think building more homeless shelters is the answer. He says cities need to connect people with resources, medicine and guidance so people can get on their feet.

"We got to stop putting homelessness in a box," he concluded.

The City of Palm Bay is holding a workshop on homelessness on November 19. This is open to non-profits, churches, anyone who has ideas on ways to help bring down the numbers. Anyone from the public who wants to see where the city stands on the issue can also attend the open meeting.

If you know anything about the machete attack, reach out to police at 321-952-3456 option 0 to help solve the case.

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