An elderly man in Florida was allegedly attacked with a box cutter inside a Publix because the suspect believed he "looked like he was from the 1960s." Authorities said he felt like "acing him out."
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Did the Elderly Man Survive the Attack?
PEOPLE reports that 47-year-old Ramsey Thomas Lyons of Punta Gorda was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 10. He was charged with a felony of aggravated battery on a person 65 years or older. A probable cause affidavit named the victim as 70-year-old David Terry.
The incident took place at the Publix Super Market on Tamiami Trail. Local officers responded to a report of a stabbing at 3:44 p.m. Terry survived the attack.
The victim told officers that he was shopping when he felt as if someone had punched him on the left side of his face. He then saw Lyons looking at him, with his arms at his sides and a box cutter blade in his hand.
Terry removed his hands from his face and saw blood on them. That's when he realized he had been stabbed. The elderly victim said he made eye contact with Lyons before backing away and heading toward the customer service desk.
The Suspect Wanted to Murder Terry
Officers arrived on the scene to find Lyons standing at the entrance of the store with his hands on top of his head. Lyons then told police that he had dropped the box cutter before they arrived. He also disclosed that he had an undiagnosed mental illness.
Lyons told officers he had entered the Publix with the intent to murder someone. Because Terry looked like he was from the 1960s, he said he felt like "acing him out."
"I just pulled it out of my pocket and stuck it in his neck," Lyons allegedly said to the officer, adding that he had been "thinking about this for the last two days and didn't have the nerve to do it" until that day.
Terry was transported to a local hospital for treatment of the 4-to-6-inch gash on his left cheek.
Lyons is being held without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 16.
