LEESBURG, Fla. — A 32-year-old man has been taken into custody on multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, following a violent series of incidents in Eustis and Leesburg, according to law enforcement.
James Edward Thompson is currently held without bond at the Lake County Jail. His charges also include aggravated battery, battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest with violence.
The Eustis Police Department responded to a disturbing scene at Ferran Park just before 1 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a call about a man being battered. Witnesses reported that Brandon Slaton approached one bystander, asking for help because he had been stabbed multiple times. When officers arrived, they found Slaton slumped over on a park bench, showing signs of extensive knife wounds, consistent with what an arrest affidavit later described as nine stab injuries. He was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center and is currently listed in stable condition.
Witness accounts indicate that Thompson attacked Slaton without warning. One observer recalled seeing Thompson approach Slaton while he was seated, prompting Slaton to flee as the two engaged in a brief struggle nearby. It was reported that Thompson then escaped the area, but police quickly mobilized a search team, including a K-9 unit, to locate him.
The investigation took a turn when Thompson was identified by staff at a local homeless resource center, Open Door, where he had reportedly been seen with blood on his hands earlier that day. They provided police with his name and noted he had discarded his bloodied clothing on the premises. Detectives were able to match his description with surveillance footage from the park.
Later that evening, less than eight hours after the stabbing incident, Thompson was the subject of another call to the Leesburg Police Department. A resident alerted police about a suspicious man going through her backyard, later identified as Thompson. Upon arrival, officers were informed that Thompson had attacked another person in the vicinity, named Randy Banks. Evidence indicated that Banks suffered severe injuries, including a visible wound to his head, allegedly inflicted by Thompson using a makeshift weapon.
While police were responding to Banks’s injury, they received another report indicating Thompson was at the front door of a nearby home. Officers apprehended him while he attempted to flee. During the arrest, Thompson resisted, prompting officers to deploy a taser, which ultimately subdued him after an agitated standoff.
Thompson has a history of violence, having previously been placed on probation for headbutting a police officer in a 2020 incident. As law enforcement continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding these recent attacks, Thompson faces serious legal consequences that may extend beyond his current charges.
Both victims are receiving medical care, and the community remains shaken by the violent events that unfolded in their neighborhoods. Officials have assured residents that they are working diligently to maintain safety and order in the area.