Orlando, Florida: Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Deaveon Brown in Downtown Stabbing, Citing Self-Defense

Prosecutors in Orlando have dropped the charges against Deaveon Jaquan Brown, the man arrested after a stabbing outside a downtown Taco Bell that was caught on video and spread widely online, after the State Attorney's Office concluded the evidence supports self-defense.

The office for State Attorney Monique Worrell in the Ninth Judicial Circuit said Monday that it reviewed video footage and witness statements before deciding not to prosecute. "The evidence indicates that Mr. Brown acted in self-defense during the altercation, and we cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that his actions were not justified under Florida law," the office said.

What the hearing showed

The stabbing happened at about 10:31 p.m. on Oct. 9 near Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard. Orlando police arrested Brown on Oct. 10, and he faced charges of attempted murder with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery with a weapon.

At a court hearing last month, prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over who started the confrontation. Orlando police Detective John Dalles testified that Brown was waiting for an Uber near Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard when the other man approached on a bicycle. The encounter began as a verbal altercation and turned physical. Investigators said the other man first pulled out a knife and later placed it on the ground. Video presented at the hearing showed Brown picking up the weapon and stabbing the man four times, according to Dalles.

Judge Vincent Falcone III ordered Brown held without bond on the attempted murder charge while the case moved forward. Brown spent 26 days in jail and is now home.

Why prosecutors closed the case

The State Attorney's Office said Florida law requires the state, once a self-defense claim is raised, to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was not justified. On this record, prosecutors said they could not meet that burden. "The video evidence and witness statements support Mr. Brown's account," the office said.

Prosecutors also said the man who was stabbed told them he did not wish to pursue charges.

"Our duty is to the evidence and the law, not to a particular outcome," the office said. It concluded that dismissing the charges was required under the evidence and Florida law, and that continuing the case would not be appropriate.

The decision closes a case that drew wide attention in Orlando because the downtown confrontation was recorded and shared online, and because a judge had sided with detention only weeks earlier after hearing the same video evidence argued the other way. With the charges dropped, Brown no longer faces prosecution in the Oct. 9 stabbing.