A 34-year-old man sought by Manatee County deputies following the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy in Bradenton has been taken into custody and charged with attempted murder.
Quazone Elijawun Taylor was taken into custody over the weekend and booked into the Manatee County Jail following a search that began after the Aug. 18 attack.
Deputies responded shortly before 3 p.m. Aug. 18 to a residence in the 600 block of 33rd Avenue Drive East, where they found the teenager suffering from multiple stab wounds to his neck and upper body.
The teen was transported to a regional hospital with serious injuries. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office previously reported that his injuries were not expected to be life-threatening.
Detectives determined Taylor had been visiting the residence and was sitting outside with the teenager when he allegedly attacked the boy. Investigators have not identified a motive for the stabbing.
Taylor fled before deputies could locate him, prompting a large law enforcement response. Additional deputies and members of the sheriff’s office SWAT and drone teams searched the residence and the surrounding neighborhood. Investigators at one point believed Taylor might have been hiding in the attic of the home, but he was not found during the initial search.
Authorities subsequently issued information identifying Taylor as the suspect and asked the public for assistance locating him.
Taylor was later taken into custody and booked into the Manatee County Jail on an attempted murder charge. Jail booking records list Taylor among those booked over the weekend.
The charge is an accusation, and Taylor is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
