SANFORD, Fla. – A disturbing hostage incident at a Sanford gas station has sparked an investigation into how officers handled the situation, according to the police department.
In a YouTube video on Tuesday, Chief Cecil Smith said that he was made aware of a body-camera video that had been circulating online over the weekend.
According to Smith, the video showed a “critical incident” back in June 2024 where a woman working at the gas station had been taken into the bathroom at knifepoint by an “unknown male subject.”
Police linked to the YouTube channel “EWU Bodycam,” which uploaded the footage showing exactly what happened. As of Tuesday afternoon, the video had racked up nearly 1.3 million views.
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The body-camera footage shows officers responding to the gas station, with a customer outside the store telling them, “You need to get in there quick, man — he just cut her damn neck!”
Officers then rush into the store, where they learn that an employee was taken into the men’s bathroom by a man, the latter of whom was later identified as 63-year-old Randal Lawton.
However, the footage then reveals that an officer — with his firearm at the ready — hesitated before running into the bathroom as the woman pleaded for help, instead turning back and asking other people in the gas station to leave.
“It’s in that door on the left, but... the hallway’s narrow, bro,” the officer can then be heard saying. “It’s a setup, you feel me?”
As a result, the responding officers discussed waiting for more units to arrive before heading into the bathroom, the video shows. The footage continues, with more officers eventually arriving at the gas station roughly five minutes later and finally breaking into the gas station.
Once inside, an officer aims his firearm at Lawton, who is standing over the bloodied employee and wielding a box cutter.
“Drop the knife!” the officer yells. “Get on the ground!”
After several commands, Lawton can be seen getting on his stomach, and officers then place him into handcuffs.
In another portion of the video, a responding officer questions why the first two officers delayed their entry.
“We were just waiting for one more person to come,” one officer explains.
According to an arrest report, Lawton later told detectives that he had encountered a “demon” at the gas station, which was a female and had been attacking him for years over his use of cigarettes.
“Randal stated that due to the demon bothering him, he believed that it needed to be punished,” the report reads. “Randal advised that he did not wish to kill the demon but that it needed to be harmed.”
The body-camera video also shows police speaking with the victim, who explains that Lawton had lured her into the bathroom and “ripped my teeth out” while trying to slit her throat. She also said that Lawton had kept calling her “Eve.”
Lawton now faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, resisting officers without violence, and kidnapping. He is held on bond of $50,500.
However, Chief Smith said that the viral video caused viewers to express concerns over the police response, as the officers didn’t immediately enter the bathroom where the victim was calling for help.
“Unfortunately, this was the first time I, too, had viewed this footage,” Smith stated. “I agree that the video prompts a need for a thorough review of the incident and the officer’s response.”
Smith added that an investigation has been opened into the officers’ response during the incident, and the first two officers at the scene have been removed from patrol duties and placed on administrative assignment pending the outcome.