Man accused of attacking friends with knife after they had dinner, drinks

Joshua Raye and Maria Soroka face charges

Joshua Raye and Maria Soroka.

PORT ORANGE, Fla. – A man cut two of his friends with a knife in an unprovoked attack after the group had dinner and drinks together, according to the Port Orange Police Department.

The double stabbing happened around 10:10 p.m. Sunday in the 5300 block of Oates Avenue.

Recommended Videos



Police said the two victims had just driven down from New York and met with Joshua Raye and Maria Soroka, both 37, at Surfside Tavern to have dinner, drinks and to play pool.

At the end of the night, one of the victims said they needed to find a hotel room but Soroka said they could stay in the “funny room” at her room, so they all went there to continue hanging out, records show.

One of the victims was tired so he went to the “funny room” while the other three were drinking in the living room then, as he was texting in bed, Raye came into the room yelling that the victim needed to leave, according to the affidavit.

The victim said Raye’s attitude had changed from earlier in the night and he didn’t know why.

Police said the victim went to leave and Raye approached him with a knife, saying that he was crazy.

The victim grabbed Raye’s arm in an attempt to stop him and ended up being cut on his hand in the process, according to authorities. The cut required four stitches, the report said.

At that point, Soroka and the other man heard the victim screaming, records show. Soroka asked Raye what he was doing because the victim was her friend while the other man wrestled the knife from Raye and put it on top of a shelf, according to the affidavit.

While wrestling away the knife, the man suffered cuts to his thumb, his right ear, his back and his face, records show.

The two men then ran out of the house and called 911.

“My friend just got stabbed and I just got assaulted too,” the man told an operator.

The man said the attack was intentional but he didn’t understand why because they were all having “a really good time,” records show.

“There’s blood all over,” the man said in a 911 call.

Police said they arrived within minutes but Raye and Soroka refused to leave the home, so they made announcements through a megaphone telling them to come out.

Raye and Soroka both called 911 multiple times to say that police were “harassing” them with the megaphone, record show. Raye also claimed that two men “beat him up,” according to the affidavit.

Shortly before 5 a.m. Monday, officers knocked down the door and took both suspects into custody.

Raye faces two counts of resisting an officer without violence, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and misuse of 911. Soroka was arrested on two counts of resisting an officer without violence and two counts of misuse of 911.


About the Author:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

Recommended Videos