HAINES CITY, Fla. — The 79-year-old man who was stabbed multiple times Friday afternoon before his car was stolen has died from his injuries, police say.
Charges against Christopher Lynn King, 32, have been upgraded from attempted murder to murder.
At around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, King was wearing a black ski mask when he approached the elderly man in a parking lot near Patterson Grove Road and stabbed him three times in the stomach with a pocketknife, a spokesperson for the Haines City Police Departments said in a news release. Police said King then took the man's keys and drove off on U.S. 27 in the elderly man's 2003 Toyota Matrix.
Haines City police officers found King near Posner Park in unincorporated Davenport, Florida, where he led authorities on a short chase. With assistance from Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies, they were able to stop the car using the "pursuit intervention technique."
King then exited the car and began to run away from law enforcement, but was eventually apprehended.
The 32-year-old was taken to the AdventHealth Heart of Florida for minor injuries then transported to Polk County Jail, police report.
King is facing multiple charges including murder, aggravated battery on a victim 65 or over, armed robbery, grand theft auto, carrying a concealed weapon, fleeing to elude, driving without a valid license, resisting arrest with and without violence, wearing a mask in the commission of a felony and battery on a law enforcement officer. Law enforcement officials also issued multiple traffic citations.
The 79-year-old man who was stabbed was flown to a local hospital in critical condition. He died just after 1 p.m. on Sunday.
No officers were injured during the arrest. The investigation is ongoing. Check back for more updates.