A woman says she fought off a man who attacked her and tried to steal her purse in Lauderhill during an encounter that police said left the man slashed by a knife.
The incident happened around 7:30 a.m. Thursday in the 4300 block of Northwest 21st Street.
Lauderhill Police said officers responded and learned a fight had taken place and the victim pulled out a knife in self-defense.
Cellphone video showed the victim, Robinette Varnidoe, holding a knife and screaming at the suspect.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
Varnidoe told NBC6 she was walking home from the ATM when she noticed the man following her.
She said he followed her all the way to her house and when she went inside, he dragged her outside. She said that's when she grabbed a knife and stabbed him in self-defense.
"He grabbed my purse and my phone and tried to take my money and then we got to fighting and then I cut him," Varnidoe said.
Local
Police said the suspect was slashed by the knife and fled the scene before officers arrived, police said.
A short time later, officers received a call that a "suspicious" man was bleeding in the 4500 block of Northwest 26th Street, police said.
Officers found the suspect and took him into custody before he was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in stable condition.
Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed officers with the man as he was laying on a sidewalk.
Police identified the man as Ferroid Thomas. He was later released from the hospital and booked into jail on a burglary with battery charge, police said.
According to police, the victim had purchased hygiene products from Thomas earlier Thursday and when she walked to the ATM, he confronted her and accused the victim of stealing from him.
The victim told Thomas that she would just return the products to him and that she would bring the items outside of the home to him and that he did not have permission to enter, police said.
But Thomas forced his way into the victim’s home and snatched the victim’s cellphone before a physical altercation ensued and Thomas took the victim’s purse, police said.
That's when she grabbed the knife as Thomas continued to fight her, and the victim cut the suspect with the knife, police said.
The incident remains under investigation.
