Attempted murder charges have been filed against a convicted armed robber after he allegedly slashed a man’s throat and then ran over him with a stolen car.
The suspect, Abel Cabrerra Torres, 31, is no stranger to being charged with attempted murder as he has been convicted of trying to kill two people in the past. He faces 15 to 40 years in prison on the new charge if convicted of the Class A felony – a term that would be served in addition to four years he still owes for violation of parole for his 1999 attempted murder conviction that got him a 20-year sentence.
Torres is accused of slitting the throat of Jared Hendrixson while the two were passengers in a car driven by a third person who was not involved in the incident. The cutting happened Tuesday afternoon as the three were traveling down Pike Hill Road.
“Torres and Hendrixson were at odds and had talked on the phone and then they went and picked him up,” said Sheriff Jackie Matheny, noting they expect to get a statement from the victim today from his hospital room at Vanderbilt. “At one point Torres says they’re OK but then a short time later, from the backseat, he reaches around and slices the victim’s throat, nearly cutting his head off. It’s a miracle he’s alive.”
The 22-year-old driver, whose name has not been released, bailed out of the car as did Hendrixson, who staggered onto the street holding his bleeding throat. Witnesses at a nearby businesses came to the aid of the injured man. However, in doing so, they put themselves in the path of Torres who had climbed behind the wheel and was taking aim at the man whose throat he had just slit.
“He ran over Jared,” Matheny said, noting a woman who came to the victim’s aid had to dive into a bush when Torres allegedly put the car in reverse and started to try to hit the victim again.
Hendrixson is reportedly recovering well from the massive laceration to his throat and the injuries he sustained from being hit by the car. Matheny said the motive is still up in the air, although there is information their hostilities may have started over a woman.
Torres sped away from the scene while the man he stole the car from called his grandmother, who owns the car. She reported it stolen after hearing the terrified yells of her grandson.
The vehicle slammed into Charles Creek off Yager Road a few minutes later. Lawmen suspect Torres may have never driven a car before. The fugitive ran into the woods but was captured at gunpoint less than an hour later by pursuing deputies.
For Torres, Tuesday’s incident marked the third time he has tried to kill someone. Back in 1999, at the age of 16, Torres shot a clerk during a robbery attempt at Pit Stop North, which was located across from Bobby Ray Elementary. The woman, who had fled to her car in trying to escape, took a round to her shoulder at nearly point-blank range.
She was rescued by a Good Samaritan who was talking on a nearby payphone. However, in being a hero, the man found himself in the sights of Torres’ rifle as the teen opened fire on him as he whisked the wounded 31-year-old store clerk to safety.
Only a week after shooting the clerk, Torres was charged with threatening Juvenile Court Judge Larry Ross as the judge prepared to hear evidence to transfer the teen to adult court. The transfer was made and Torres was later given a 20-year sentence for the two charges of attempted murder. He remains on parole until 2019 and authorities have already moved that his parole be revoked due to his new charges.