2 men who came to rescue describe murder-suicide stabbing attack in Ponte Vedra
PONTE VEDRA, Fla. – Two men who intervened during a murder-suicide stabbing outside a St. Johns County restaurant this weekend described the harrowing experience to News4JAX.
Jimmy Stepp and Kennedy Armstrong tried to help save two women as they were being attacked outside Mr. Chubby’s Wings on Valley Circle, and Armstrong was injured in the process.
Deputies said the attack happened around 4:30 p.m. Saturday and have identified the accused stabber as 18-year-old Spencer Pearson.
RELATED: 18-year-old accused of attacking 2 women with knife in attempted murder-suicide at Ponte Vedra restaurant
Stepp said he and his friend Armstrong were coming to the restaurant to grab a bite to eat after work when they got out of Armstrong’s truck and heard someone screaming.
Armstrong said he saw a man on top of a woman on the sidewalk “pounding down on her chest,” and he couldn’t tell if the man had a knife or was just using his fist, but he took off running and knocked the man off the woman.
“Kennedy Armstrong, who is, I want to say, the hero in this whole thing. He tackled the gentleman off and caught a slash on his hand,” Stepp said.
Stepp told News4JAX that Armstrong was taken to the hospital with a “pretty bad slash to the hand” but is expected to be OK.
Kennedy Armstrong (Courtesy of family)
Armstrong said after he knocked the man off, he saw the attacker -- later identified by investigators as Pearson -- stab himself “a couple of times.”
Stepp said he personally came out of the incident “totally untouched,” but he is still mentally a little shaken by the experience.
“It’s something you never expect to see. [I’m] trying to process everything and pray for everyone involved,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. “It’s kind of a moment [where] you don’t think about what you’re doing. Something in you just tells you to do the right thing, and I felt that was the right thing.”
A GoFundMe was created to support Armstrong’s recovery and any medical expenses.
Pearson is in the hospital being treated for self-inflicted injuries. Investigators said if he survives, he will face multiple felonies, including attempted murder.
Deputies said the attempted murder-suicide attack was targeted against a primary victim, whom Pearson knew.
At the time of the incident, all parties involved were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide an update on the current condition of the two women injured in the attack.
Mr. Chubby’s Wings posted a statement on its Facebook page.
“We would like to pray for the safe recovery of everyone involved in the incident outside our Ponte Vedra location. A huge Chubby thank you to Kennedy and Jimmy for your help stopping the situation. Truly Heroic. Thank you to all the first responders. Mr. Chubby’s Wings has the best customers in the world. Thank you.”
Source: WJXT News4JAX
