A 28-year-old Weston man is facing a felony charge after Sunrise police say he stabbed his 12-year-old cousin during an argument over a video game console at an apartment complexlast Thursday night. The boy was rushed to a hospital, and the man, identified as Andrew Zagazeta, was arrested the following morning and booked into jail on the charge.
According to Local 10 News, Sunrise Police Department officers responded to the stabbing report at the complex in the 12800 block of Vista Isles Drive. Zagazeta is listed in police records as a resident of neighboring Weston, and after his arrest early on July 31 he was booked into the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, where he is being held on a $20,000 bond.
Great-Grandmother Describes Argument Over Gaming Console
Per the arrest report cited by Tampa Free Press, the boy's great-grandmother told investigators that Zagazeta and his younger cousin had a verbal argument over the gaming console. She said she did not see a knife during that part of the confrontation and stepped in to break it up; the boy had initially grabbed a knife from a kitchen storage block during the dispute but put it back once she intervened. Zagazeta left the home afterward, the report states.
At the hospital, the boy alleged that Zagazeta had pushed him after he confronted his older cousin for playing the video game system without permission, and that Zagazeta then struck him in the hip, per the boy's own statement. Sunrise police wrote in the probable cause affidavit that Zagazeta retrieved a knife hidden behind the television set — the same spot where Law & Crime reports officers later recovered the knife during their search of the residence.
Boy Treated for Puncture Wound at Trauma Center
The boy told his great-grandmother that he had been stabbed in the hip, and paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital. He was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, which operates as Broward County's Level I Trauma Center, where medical staff treated a puncture wound roughly 1 centimeter deep.
Zagazeta's own statements to investigators were redacted from the probable cause affidavit released publicly, according to True Crime News. That leaves his side of the confrontation unknown for now, as the case moves forward.
Felony Charge Carries Steep Penalties
Zagazeta faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon under Florida Statute § 784.045, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison, 15 years of probation and a $10,000 fine, according to Hanlon Law. Under Florida's Criminal Punishment Code, the offense is ranked as a Level 7 crime, meaning Zagazeta would face a statutory sentencing guideline floor of 21 months in prison if convicted, absent a judge-approved downward departure, per The Rodriguez Law Office.
Cases involving weapons remain a minority of Florida's overall domestic violence caseload. Aggravated assaults and batteries account for roughly 16% of all reported domestic violence crimes statewide each year, with simple assaults making up the remaining 84%, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement data cited by Sammis Law Firm.
Victim Advocacy Resources Available Locally
The Sunrise Police Department maintains a Victim Advocacy Program within its Criminal Investigations Division, offering crisis counseling and support to local crime victims, according to the City of Sunrise. The felony charge against Zagazeta carries significant consequences as the case proceeds through the legal system.
