A family’s trip to the Daytona 500 turned into a desperate race to the hospital Saturday night after a 13-year-old boy was randomly slashed across the throat while walking along the Daytona Beach Boardwalk.
Authorities have since arrested 44-year-old Jermaine Lynn Long in connection with the incident, which doctors say the teenager was lucky to survive.
The victim, Sullivan “Sully” Clarke, was enjoying the evening on his phone near his family around 10 p.m. when the attack occurred. According to a probable cause affidavit, the boy didn’t even realize he had been wounded until bystanders in a nearby car shouted to him that his neck was bleeding.
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His father, Jerod Clarke, described a scene of immediate shock to FOX 35, noting that the gash was deep enough to see through the muscle. Medical professionals later informed the family that if the blade had gone any deeper or struck at a different angle, the injury likely would have been fatal.
Sullivan credited a split-second decision to look up at a local amusement park ride for shifting his position just enough to avoid a direct strike to his windpipe.
Police officers responding to the scene quickly fanned out across the boardwalk area. Based on descriptions provided by witnesses who reported seeing a man “lingering” in the vicinity before the assault, officers located Long near Joe’s Crab Shack. Upon searching him, police reported finding a box cutter and a silver knife in his possession.
During questioning, Long allegedly admitted to “putting his hands” on the teenager but denied using a weapon to cut him.
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The interview ended shortly after when Long requested legal representation. He has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and is currently being held without bond at the Volusia County Jail.
The Clarke family, still reeling from the unprovoked nature of the crime, noted to the outlet that they had spent a normal day at the races before the sudden violence.
Long is scheduled to appear in court on March 10.
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