LAKELAND, FL (November 24, 2024) – On Saturday, November 23, 2024, at approximately 12:33 a.m., officers responded to a nightclub located at 4951 Highway 98 North in reference to reports of a person stabbed.
Upon arrival, officers met with a 22-year-old male victim with multiple stab wounds. The victim stated that prior to being stabbed, he had been in a verbal altercation with an unknown male outside in the patio area. After leaving the area where the altercation occurred, the victim went back inside the bar. A short time later, the unknown male from the argument grabbed the victim from behind and stabbed him approximately four times in the back before fleeing the scene. The victim was transported to Lakeland Regional Health where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Multiple witnesses confirmed the identity of the suspect to be 24-year-old Johnnie Brown IV from Winter Haven. An arrest warrant for Brown was granted, charging him with Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Deadly Weapon and noted a bias enhancement based on a witness reporting Brown making a racial slur just prior to the stabbing. Detectives contacted partners at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to assist with locating and arresting Brown given his known locations to be in the Winter Haven area. Upon his arrest, Brown refused to interview with Detectives and was transported to the Polk County Jail.
If anyone has additional information related to this incident, they are asked to contact Detective Derek Gulledge at [email protected].
