Naked FL Man Put Child In Chokehold, Stabbed 81-Year-Old: Sheriff

TAMPA, FL — A naked man was arrested after stabbing an 81-year-old man and putting a 7-year-old girl in a chokehold on Sunday afternoon, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Deputies responded to a report of a naked man jumping a fence of a backyard on Spence Avenue in Tampa and putting a girl, who was on a trampoline, in a chokehold around 4 p.m., the agency said.

Her mother and neighbors rescued the girl and the suspect, later identified as 27-year-old Yoan Gonzalez Vazquez, ran from the home.

He was found hiding under a covered porch in the backyard of a home near Kimball Avenue and Harold Avenue, where they arrested him.

"I can't imagine the terror this mother must have felt as she watched a violent man lay hands on her child," Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "The bravery shown by her and the neighbors who intervened to rescue this girl is heroic."

Investigators learned that after running from the first home, he entered another and stabbed an 81-year-old man there, the sheriff’s office said. The victim was brought to a hospital, where he’s being treated for his injuries.

"This individual's evil actions targeted both a child and an elderly person, showing disregard for human life," Chronister said. “Thanks to our deputies' swift response, this man will face the consequences of his actions and answer for the harm and trauma he has caused these families."

Gonzalez Vazquez faces several charges, including two charges of burglary with battery and one charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Other charges could be forthcoming.

The suspect was evaluated at Tampa General Hospital before being booked into Orient Road Jail.