Stabbing at Lakeland nightclub leads to arrest of 24-year-old man

LAKELAND, Fla. — A 24-year-old Winter Haven man was arrested for allegedly stabbing another man multiple times at a nightclub in Lakeland.

Officers responded to a nightclub located at 4951 Highway 98 North after hearing reports that a person had been stabbed. When officers arrived on scene, they found a 22-year-old man with multiple stab wounds.

The victim said he and another man were arguing outside on the patio area, so he went back to the bar. That’s when the other man allegedly grabbed the victim from behind and stabbed him about four times before leaving, authorities said.

The injured, whose injuries were not life-threatening, were treated at a local hospital.

Multiple witnesses confirmed the suspect’s identity as Johnnie Brown IV, 24. He was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. Authorities said Brown was given a prejudice enhancement based on testimony from a witness who heard him use a racial slur just before he was stabbed.

Brown refused to talk to detectives and was taken to the Polk County Jail.

Anyone with additional information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Derek Gulledge at [email protected].