A woman from Florida is accused of riding her bike up to a priest who was having coffee and stabbing him in the chest. She did this just minutes after showing a knife to a McDonald’s worker and not long after getting out of jail for a battery conviction.
In connection with the attack that sent Trinity Parish Father Matt Marino, the rector of Trinity Parish St. Augustine, to the hospital, Arieana Gibbs, 22, is being charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and felony battery.
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According to the arrest report, the attack took place on Wednesday at 8 a.m. at 48 San Marco and 1106 N. Ponce De Leon Blvd. in downtown St. Augustine, which is on the Pacific coast south of Jacksonville.
Court papers say the fight began that day while the defendant was at McDonald’s standing by the soda machines. As the suspect stood next to the soda machine, a McDonald’s worker went over to them, the arrest report said.
According to the document, the defendant asked the worker, “Can you help me with something?” and then grabbed their arm and pulled out a kitchen knife.
St. Augustine Police say the suspect rode off on a black bicycle while the victim pulled her arm back and ran away. The suspect was wearing an orange long-sleeved shirt, tie-dye pants, and a black backpack.
After five minutes, Gibbs is said to have stopped her bike at the Juniper Market at 48 San Marco Avenue and went up to two men who were talking at a table outside. The arrest report said she walked up to a customer and said, “Excuse me.” Then she lunged at him and stabbed him under the collarbone.
The victim, who was later named Marino, and his friend are said to have fought off the attacker before she got back on her bike and rode off. Two men tried to stop her from leaving by kicking the bike.
As of Friday, Marino was said to be in stable condition, but he had been hurt. The arrest report said that he had a collapsed lung and internal bleeding. The report said that emergency medical technicians at the scene saved lives.
Witnesses talked about the scary event. Theo Glory, who owns a café across the street, said that Marino was dressed as a pastor when the suspect rode by.
Glory told the St. Johns Citizen, “He was like stone cold flat on the floor.” “The kind people who were nearby wrapped him in a jacket and waited for the ambulances.” In minutes, there were six or seven police cars and fire trucks here. They did their job.
The Episcopal Diocese of Florida thanked the people who helped Marino, including the paramedics, police officers, doctors, and nurses who are still taking care of him.
“We are keeping a close eye on things and will let you know when we have more information.” The statement asked people to pray for Fr. Matt, his family, and everyone at Trinity St. Augustine School.
Police say a witness took a picture of Gibbs and that she left her phone at the scene of the crime. She was arrested that day, and court papers say she had the knife that was used in both attacks. Getting booked records show that she is being held at the St. Johns County Jail without bond.
In a motion for pretrial detention, prosecutors said Gibbs randomly attacked two unarmed people in St. Johns County and said she had just been found guilty of battery in the same county.
In that case, on August 11, Gibbs is said to have hit, pushed, and thrown a can of yams at a man she was seeing. Court papers say they were fighting over their relationship and “household problems.” The man put his hand over his face to block the can and avoid serious injury. The argument got worse, according to court documents.
Court papers say she pulled out a knife during the argument “to try and scare him into stopping the argument because her 3-year-old was in the other room.”
The online court record shows that she got credit for time served while she was in jail for 28 days.
