A dispute between two construction workers a central Florida site turned into something much more serious on Nov. 1. One person was taken to hospital; the other was charged with attempted first degree murder with a weapon.

A Polk County Sheriff’s Office report said deputies responded to reports of a stabbing at a home construction site in an unincorporated part of Davenport at around 5 p.m. that day.

The Miami Herald reported a witness explained that the coworkers were in a verbal dispute, and Nelson Garcia — who he said had been drinking — pulled out a box cutter and went on the attack. “When asked what fueled the attacker’s rage, the witness said that he thought it was because the victim had asked him to get him water,” the newspaper reported.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 and aviation teams quickly tracked down Garcia, who still had the box cutter in his possession.

“The 22-year-old admitted to deputies that he had engaged in a ‘verbal dispute’ with the victim, but did not remember the reason the argument escalated,” the published report said. “Based on the investigation, probable cause was established to charge the suspect with attempted first degree murder with a weapon, the affidavit read.”

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Gracia, who is not a US citizen, should not have even been in the country.  “This is the second time in a year that Garcia, who should not even be in the country, has been arrested,” Judd said.

He had been arrested last August for driving without a valid license.

“In 2020, we notified ICE when he was booked into our jail and they picked him up. Now he’s back, trying to murder our citizens. Luckily, the victim wasn’t killed and should make a full recovery.”