A man acted in self-defense when he stabbed another man at Dolphin Mall, Thursday afternoon, police said.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, a man was stabbed inside Time Factory Watch Outlet at the Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater. The man, who is in his 20s, was transported to Kendall Regional Hospital by ambulance. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Sweetwater Police said Alex Rodriguez was at the mall with his mother and another man when he spotted former classmate Johnjon Gonzalez, around 3 p.m. Rodriguez tried to provoke a fight with Gonzalez, police said, but Gonzalez and his friend tried to walk away.
Santino Barca, an employee at a store in the mall, said he saw the mother then go after Gonzalez.
“Pretty wild, pretty crazy, not something you would expect at just a regular day at work,” Barca said. “The two kids were walking away, the mom went ahead and hit him in the back of the head with a shopping bag — I don’t know what it was, some sort of bag.”
Barca grabbed his cellphone and started recording the commotion.
Security guards tried to get the fight under control. However, the mayhem was too much. Then, shortly afterwards, the woman realized one of her sons had been stabbed.
“Then I realized it was getting pretty serious, when I saw blood everywhere,” Barca said.
Gonzalez had stabbed the man who was with Rodriguez with a two-inch pocket knife, police said.
“The male that actually did the stabbing is gonna be protected under Stand Your Ground because he was only protecting himself,” Sweetwater Police spokesperson Sandy Antonio said.
According to police, it is legal to carry a blade two inches or shorter.
The man who was stabbed started the fight, police said. It is not clear whether he will face charges.
7News cameras captured police placing one man in handcuffs. Investigators questioned three men for at least two hours. They then concluded, the stabber will not be charged.
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