A bartender at an Orlando pub was arrested on attempted second-degree murder charges after police say he stabbed a patron about 10 times in the head and back during a dispute over a bar tab.
According to an arrest affidavit, the incident began inside Grumpy’s Underground Bar last Sunday when the victim told staff he was being charged for drinks he had not received. The affidavit says bartender Jason Wilfredo Rosario, 30, began berating the customer and made repeated obscene remarks. A manager attempted to intervene, but the confrontation continued and the two agreed to take the argument outside, the affidavit states.
Once outside, the affidavit says Rosario again insulted the victim’s deceased mother and the victim struck Rosario. The two fell to the ground and fought, and Rosario allegedly produced a knife and began slashing the victim in the left back and head. The report states the attack happened quickly and the victim did not immediately realize he had been stabbed. After the assault, the victim told officers Rosario said, “I got him.”
A woman flagged officers after noticing blood on her hands and saying a man had brushed past her and mentioned a stabbing, the affidavit says. The bar owner told police, “Saucy stabbed somebody and it’s not ok,” and later identified Rosario as the person she knew by the nickname “Joc Hip Hop,” describing him as hotheaded. The victim also positively identified Rosario in a lineup, according to police.
The injured patron was taken to a hospital; the affidavit noted he did not die from his wounds, and his current condition was not specified in the report. Authorities obtained an arrest warrant and took Rosario into custody on Friday. He was booked into the Orange County Jail and ordered held without bond.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office and local prosecutors provided the charging information in court filings and the arrest affidavit reviewed by investigators. The case remains under investigation, and more details about the victim’s injuries and the circumstances leading up to the dispute have not been released.
No attorney for Rosario was identified in court records made public Friday. The arrest affidavit and booking information list the charge as attempted second-degree murder. Police and prosecutors did not immediately provide additional comment on whether any other charges would be filed or on the timeline for any forthcoming court appearances.