Daytona Beach Police Under Scrutiny for Handling of Teen Slashing Suspect

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A 13-year-old boy was injured in a knife attack on the Daytona Beach boardwalk. The alleged assailant, Jermaine Long, has been ordered by a judge to remain in custody until his trial.

In a revelation by News 6, it was discovered that this incident wasn’t Long’s first confrontation of the day. Authorities reportedly dealt with him on two previous occasions before releasing him, only for him to be implicated again in another violent act.

The victim’s family is now calling for those involved in the case to be held accountable. They expressed their concerns to News 6 both immediately following the incident and again on Thursday, demanding transparency and responsibility.

“It’s baffling how multiple violent incidents occurred in such a short span, yet he was still at large to harm our child,” stated Lori Clarke, whose son was attacked while the family strolled along the boardwalk on Saturday.

Clarke further commented, “This behavior was foreseeable. It represented a pattern of escalating violence.”

The Daytona Beach police department has announced an internal investigation to assess the handling of the situation.

News 6 Volusia County Community Correspondent Molly Reed began pushing for answers Wednesday after learning that Jermaine Long had been involved in a previous attack that day but was not arrested.

“I don’t know the ins and outs at this point, but it’s being looked at,” said Director of Operations Bill Rhodes.

News 6 found that officers had three run-ins with Long on Saturday.

First, he was trespassed from a property. Then, after being accused of hitting a man with a sledgehammer, police trespassed him again but did not arrest him. Finally, they arrested him, charging him with slashing the 13-year-old’s throat.

Police responded Thursday with a statement saying that at the time of the sledgehammer incident, the victim did not fully cooperate, and there was not enough evidence to press charges.

The report from that day showed the victim was interviewed and Long was found with a sledgehammer.

After reviewing the case again, police say they found enough evidence to press charges.

Police said they will not release more details until the internal review is complete.

Jermaine Long is pleading not guilty to both violent acts that occurred Saturday.