LEESBURG, Fla.— A man accused of stabbing a victim nine times at a Eustis park and later attacking another person in Leesburg has been arrested on multiple felony charges, including attempted murder and aggravated battery, police said.
James Edward Thompson, 32, is being held at the Lake County Jail on no bond and is also facing charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.
Eustis incident
Shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, Eustis Police Department received a call in reference to a battery at Ferran Park. An unnamed witness said a man, later identified as Brandon Slaton, approached her and asked her to call emergency services because he had been battered. When an officer arrived, she found Slaton on a park bench with his head slumped over and several lacerations consistent with knife wounds. Slaton confirmed to the officer he had been stabbed, according to an arrest affidavit.
Officers spoke with multiple witnesses on scene, and one witness said she saw a man run toward Slaton while he was sitting on a park bench. Slaton turned his head toward a man, later identified as Thompson, and then began to run. Thompson followed, and the pair began fighting in the grassy area, south of the fountain. Thompson then fled the area. Another witness provided a similar account, the affidavit states.
Slaton was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment and was last listed in stable condition.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded with a K-9 unit and helicopter to assist in locating Thompson, but the search was unsuccessful. LCSO crime scene investigators also responded
EPD detectives arrived scene and during a canvas of the area, a detective went to Open Door, 115 East Citrus Avenue. Open Door is a LifeStream facility that operates as a homeless drop-in center. A witness at Open Door said a man matching the suspect’s description came into Open Door with blood on his hands and she attempted to help him. She said he took off his shirt and gloves and put them in a trash can and left a blanket on a table at the back of the building.
The bloody clothing and blanket were located and collected as evidence. Open Door staff provided EPD with Thompson’s name, as he had checked into the facility earlier in the day. A current photo of Thompson matched the video footage from Ferran Park, according to the affidavit.
A detective responded to ORMC, and medical staff told him Slaton had been stabbed nine times and “suffered extensive blood loss.” The detective attempted to interview Slaton, and he said he wanted to prosecute but didn’t know who attacked him.
Leesburg incident
Less than eight hours after the stabbing at Ferran Park, Leesburg Police Department received a call about a suspicious person. The caller, Randy Banks, said a man he didn’t know, described as a black male, wearing a black shirt, identified himself as “James” and was going through his backyard, according to an LPD arrest affidavit. The man was later identified as Thompson.
LPD responded and began canvassing the area of Virginia Avenue for the subject. While in the area, Banks called back and said Thompson battered him. An LPD officer arrived and observed Banks with “copious amounts of blood on his head and clothes,” and he had a “visible hole in the front right side of his head,” where blood was pouring out.
Banks told police Thompson came back to his home while he was on his front porch and became “agitated” with him. He said Thompson struck him on the head with a table leg that had a screw protruding from it, the affidavit states.
Banks was severely injured and unable to provide a written statement and was airlifted as a trauma alert to a local hospital. His condition was unavailable at press time.
While tending to Banks, LPD received another call from the resident next door stating Thompson was at her front door. An officer spotted Thompson walking away from the door and ordered him to the ground at taser point. Thompson complied and was placed under arrest. He was transported to Leesburg Police Department to be interviewed by EPD detectives and for processing.
While at the department, Thompson requested to use the restroom, according to the affidavit. An officer removed his handcuffs and leg shackle and allowed him to use the restroom. When he was finished, the officer opened the door and Thompson stood in the doorway. He instructed Thompson to place his hands behind his back. Thompson stared at him “blankly” and refused to comply. Thompson pushed past the officer, entered the booking area and was “posturing in an aggressive manner..” The officer requested backup as he drew his taser and commanded Thompson to the ground. He refused and the officer deployed his taser, striking Thompson in the stomach and right thigh, and he fell backward to the ground. The officer ordered him to roll over on his stomach and told him if he did not comply, he would be tased again. Thompson complied and was held at taser point until backup arrived and secured him. Thompson was transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital and medically cleared before being transported to the Lake County Jail.
In addition to the charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting with violence, he is also facing a violation of probation. According to Lake County Clerk of Court records, Thompson was sentenced to three years’ probation in 2025, after he pleaded no contest to headbutting a Leesburg police officer who responded to a call at LifeStream, 2020 Tally Road in 2024.
Thompson is being held on no bond.
