A frightening attack at a Florida school bus stop was stopped when a passing Good Samaritan stepped in — using a toolbox to fend off a man allegedly assaulting a teenage boy.
Authorities say 36-year-old Christopher Steven Schwable, who is homeless, was restrained by bystanders after choking and beating a 13-year-old student at a bus stop in DeLand on Tuesday morning. The incident unfolded near the intersection of Clear Lake Drive and North Spring Garden Avenue.
Police responding to an emergency call initially believed the situation involved a stabbing. When officers arrived, they found Schwable being held down by another man who told them he had intervened after witnessing the attack.
According to police, the Good Samaritan said he was driving past the bus stop when he saw Schwable attacking the teen. He claimed Schwable threatened him with a knife, prompting him to strike the man in the face twice with a toolbox. Schwable suffered a visible head injury and was bleeding when officers took him into custody.
Body camera footage captured officers speaking with the shaken teenager, who said Schwable pulled out a knife, grabbed him, and struck him. Police said two witnesses backed up the boy’s account. Officers later recovered a green-and-black folding knife from Schwable’s pocket and seized it as evidence.
Local outlet WOFL-TV reported that Schwable had been released from jail just a week earlier, on Jan. 13, after spending more than three weeks behind bars on charges of indecent exposure and possession of drug paraphernalia. Prosecutors later dropped those charges, according to court records. Police emphasized that those earlier allegations were unrelated to the bus stop attack.
Schwable’s booking photo appeared to show a large wound on the right side of his face, consistent with the reported intervention.
He has since been charged with aggravated child abuse and aggravated assault.
A spokesperson for Volusia County Schools confirmed the victim is a seventh-grade student at Southwestern Middle School. Officials also confirmed Schwable was homeless at the time of the alleged attack.
The boy was treated at the scene, and police credited the quick actions of bystanders with preventing further harm.