Suspect Charged with Attempted Murder Following Alleged Racially Motivated Stabbing at Wild Greg’s Bar in Lakeland

LAKELAND, FL (November 24, 2024) – On Saturday, November 23, 2024, at approximately 12:33 p.m., officers responded to a nightclub located at 4951 Highway 98 North in response to reports of a person being stabbed.

Upon arrival, officers encountered a 22-year-old male victim with multiple stab wounds. The victim stated that he got into a verbal argument with an unidentified male on the porch area before he was stabbed. The victim entered the bar again after leaving the area where the argument took place. The unidentified man, who participated in the argument a short time later, grabbed the victim from behind, stabbed him in the back approximately 4 times, and then fled the scene. The victim was transported to Lakeland Regional Health where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Multiple witnesses confirmed the suspect’s identity as 24-year-old Johnnie Brown IV of Winter Haven. An arrest warrant was issued for Brown, charging him with Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Deadly Weapon, citing a bias escalation from a witness who reported Brown making a racial slur just before the stabbing. Detectives contacted partners at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to assist in locating and arresting Brown given his known locations in the Winter Haven area. Following his arrest, Brown refused to talk to Detectives and was transported to the Polk County Jail.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Derek Gulledge at (email protected).