Fight Between Homeless Men Over Liquor Ends With Stabbing

June 22, 2011

A fight over liquor between two homeless men ended with a stabbing near a popular restaurant Tuesday afternoon.

Deputies responded to a cutting victim about 12:10 p.m. at the intersection of North Davis Highway and Northcross Lane near La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant.

Numerous witnesses told deputies that they witnessed 55-year-old Luther Banks (pictured) cut 38-year-old Dwayne Lee Jensen with a pocket knife.

Deputies believe the altercation became violent while the two were arguing over liquor.

“This senseless act of violence took place near a very busy intersection, putting innocent people in harm,” said sheriff’s office spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn. “We are very grateful for the assistance of several witnesses. The information they provided about the suspect helped us make such a quick arrest.”

Jensen was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital for a severe cut to his upper left chest. His condition was not available.

Banks was arrested and charged with aggravated battery. He was being held at the Escambia County Jail on a $15,000 bond.

Comments

13 Responses to “Fight Between Homeless Men Over Liquor Ends With Stabbing”

  1. call someone on June 23rd, 2011 7:56 pm

    Here is the truth: I am part of the ECSO that you want to enforce the homeless people! WE CAN’T!!! Did you know that for a while the County Commissioners told us to stop enforcing the ordinance that allows the homeless to Panhandle… They have more rights than we do!! So here is what we have to do, catch one of them taking money from a driver, make sure they have had four warnings to not do that and then and only then can we arrest them!!!!! Better yet, citizens of Escambia County, quit giving them money. No money, no stay! No Money, No booze!! Better yet, businesses that pay taxes and citizens that pay taxes, CALL YOUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS!!!! TAKE OUR STREETS BACK, BECAUSE TRUST ME WE HATE IT TOO!!!

  2. 429SCJ on June 23rd, 2011 1:46 pm

    I feel that euthenics, not euthanasia, is the solution. I see as our institutions begin to falter from lack of funding, this problem only getting worse. Daily more people are losing job, home, family. I know a percentage of these people are lazy bums, others sufffer from mental illness and just plain bad luck. I feel that instead of complaing we should give thanks to God for sitting us safely on the high ground. One never knows, your face could soon be in that crowd. I wish I had a solution and a positive one.

  3. CEDRIC on June 23rd, 2011 12:10 pm

    It’s not as easy as you think. Once these people are arrested, they go to court and released with a fine. They then manage to find their way back to a intersection where they continue begging. If motorists stop giving them money they will go away. Like the old saying. If you feed stray cats they will hang around. STOP GIVING THEM MONEY.

  4. Logan on June 23rd, 2011 8:36 am

    Has anyone heard the new politically correct term for homeless people lately? They’re called “Outdoors-People” now…let’s make sure we don’t offend them. They choose to take refuge outdoors.

    But I’m with Bob on this one…I live in Downtown Pensacola (I’ve litereally had to scury drunken hobos out of my courtyard with promises of cops and unrelenting fury) and I drive the Brent/Davis corridor multiple times daily. The Outdoors-People population is exploding. I think Pensacola should adopt a program that Panama City created in 2009…local businesses contribute to a fund raising money to send the homeless folks (gasp) back to their hometown on a bus. Pass the buck? Sure, yes.

  5. Everett on June 22nd, 2011 11:56 pm

    Knife fight at the Hacienda.

    To answer the Patriot. The local ACLU controls what crimes that can be enforced concerning panhandlers and transients. The ACLU has filed numerous legal suits against the sheriffs office. Most of your larger cities law enforcement agencies tell the ACLU to “bug off” and “go ahead and sue us”.

  6. Just wondering on June 22nd, 2011 5:24 pm

    Where do you propose they go? Shall we lock them up for being homeless? That would only add to the prison overcrowding problem we have already.
    This is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous that two people would be fighting over alcohol, but it’s even more ridiculous that people think they all to have a place to go (what do you think “homeless” means?) or that the police should do something about it. It’s not a police problem…….it’s a societal problem. SOCIETY has to solve it…not the cops.

  7. Patriot on June 22nd, 2011 3:29 pm

    In response to: ECSO needs to clean out the homeless from that area. They
    are an obvious risk to public safety.

    How do you propose that they do that? What statute would you charge them with?

  8. Bob on June 22nd, 2011 2:55 pm

    The worst part about this is that ECSO is doing nothing about the homeless congregating in this area. I drive by here several times a day, and see the exact same panhandlers up and down Davis Hwy. On top of that, there’s a hobo camp directly by the interstate ramp in-front of the Coca-Cola plant. It;’s clearly visible from the road and you can see these homeless sitting there. The area is getting trashed. Why can’t we get some laws passed in this county to actually do something about these vagrants?

  9. Dan on June 22nd, 2011 2:16 pm

    The homeless people are making this otherwise safe area
    a dangerous place to be. La Hacienda Restaurant is a very
    popular spot where many people eat.

    ECSO needs to clean out the homeless from that area. They
    are an obvious risk to public safety.

  10. theangrydolphin on June 22nd, 2011 8:10 am

    Seems they would have been better off fighting over a taco, doesn’t it?

  11. bjay on June 22nd, 2011 6:41 am

    If ever there was a reason to get these people off of our roads and to stop begging for money this would be it. Next time it will be some innocent teenager or old lady pumping gas tht will be stabbed.

  12. 429SCJ on June 22nd, 2011 6:24 am

    A sad tale indeed. In my book a whisky peddler is no better than a crack dealer, I wonder what sort of being would profit on misery and suffering?

  13. pookie on June 22nd, 2011 2:17 am

    well he’s not homeless now…but its such a shame that someone would be willing to attempt to kill someone over liquor! i know it can make pple do stupid stuff but thats going overboard! there may be other problems wrong with him besides just alcoholism…just hope the victim will fully recover and they both get the help they need.