HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Newly-obtained surveillance video shows a man accused of stabbing a woman force his way into a Homestead subdivision prior to the attack.
The burglary and stabbing were reported shortly after 3:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Waterstone community, located in the 3700 block of Northeast 10th Court.
Surveillance video showed a security guard allowed Jose Armel Saavedra, 24, through the main gate of the complex after the victim, who had just gotten home after a night out with her girlfriends.
The video shows the suspect not letting a second layer of security — a downed crossing arm and a locked security gate — stop him.
Investigators said Saavedra followed the victim into her home and then attacked her, punching and stabbing her several times. The woman’s husband, who was sleeping in another room, heard his wife’s screams, chased the man out, and called the police.
Detectives said another clip shows Saavedra running from the home before falling through the same locked gates where he made his way in. He then gets back into his SUV and drives away.
But it wouldn’t take long for the police to track him down and arrest him after a Homestead detective recognized the suspect as Saavedra. The detective said he previously bought shoes from Saavedra on OfferUp.
Police said Saavedra denied that he was the person seen in the video and denied being in the city of Homestead when the attack occurred.
Saavedra was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
“Mr. Saavedra has pleaded not guilty, and looks forward to defending his case in court,” his attorney, Carter Hillstrom, told Local 10 News in an email.
Local 10 News has reached out to the property management company to learn more about Waterstone’s security protocol and what’s being done to keep residents safe. The company had yet to respond as of this article’s publication.