Tallahassee stabbing suspect said he 'wigged out' and stabbed 'everything in front of him,' police say

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The employee of a construction materials company, accused of stabbing five people at his workplace Wednesday morning, called his pastor to ask for forgiveness minutes before the rampage, according to police.

Late Wednesday, police released details of the violent incident at Dyke Industries.

Antwann Demetris Brown, 41, was arrested on five counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault.

Four of the people who were hospitalized were co-workers. One – a stranger to Brown – was stabbed in the parking lot.

In the 13 minutes after he was asked by supervisors to clock out at 8:20 a.m. after an argument, Brown allegedly struck dozens of knife blows as he moved between Dyke’s offices and a warehouse.

Brown in good spirits before attack

As he rode to work with a fellow employee, Brown was in good spirits, chatting about sports. Shortly after punching in at around 8 a.m., he overheard his supervisor talking in code about having to fire him, according to police.

A verbal argument ensued, and Brown motioned to his pocket. The supervisor, fearing he had a weapon, armed himself with a piece of wood and ordered Brown to leave the building.

Tallahassee stabbing: 'Baby, I've been stabbed 5 times': Suspect named in 'massive' stabbing

Brown walked outside after he was told he couldn't use a phone in the main office.

In the parking lot, Brown dialed up his pastor. He begged over the phone for forgiveness and prayer. The concerned pastor, who is identified in the police report as D. Harris, called 911 to report the conversation.

According to the arrest warrant, Brown contradicted the pastor's statements, telling investigators he called Harris to confront him "because his soul was evil."

Brown, when questioned by police, said he’d been diagnosed with two mental illnesses but had been unable to access his medications since March. He sought out particular victims who had “wronged” him, according to court records.

“Brown described how he entered a dark place and ‘wigged out’ and began to stab everything in front of him,” police wrote in their report. “Brown told us he was able to see the demons in the persons who he stabbed. Brown provided some details of how the persons he stabbed had wronged either him or previous employees.”

After his first court appearance Thursday morning, Brown is being held at the Leon County Detention Facility without bail.

"This court has great concerns for the safety of our community," said Leon County Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson. "The court is going to hold you no bond."

Police: Brown capable of decision-making

After allegedly stabbing a man in the parking lot at Dyke, Brown walked back inside the building and continued stabbing co-workers, according to police.

An 8:33 a.m., a caller to the Consolidated Dispatch Agency reported Brown was “stabbing everyone.” He was arrested about five minutes later with dried blood on his hands, fingernails and shirt.

Several people in the office witnessed the stabbings.

One victim in critical condition suffered two collapsed lungs. Several were stabbed multiple times. One was stabbed 20 times.

Brown allegedly told one victim, “I’m going to spare you this time,” which police said demonstrated his ability to make decisions.

When police entered the business, they followed several blood trails to larger pools throughout the building.

In the parking lot, officers found a common pocket knife they suspected was used in the rampage.