A 12-year-old boy testified from another room by video Monday in Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, describing how a man armed with a box cutter ordered him off his bicycle near a Food Lion and then held him down and cut him on the head, ear, shoulder and hand. The boy, now in 7th grade, was 11 when the attack happened in October 2025 near Meredith Court.
Victim Recounts the Attack in His Own Words
According to the boy's account as reported by WAVY, he had ridden his mother's bicycle to a nearby Food Lion to get food when a man later identified as Joshua Rambo approached him on his way home, threatened him with a box cutter, and told him to get off the bike. Rambo then held him down and cut him, and the boy said Rambo yelled, “help me, he is going to kill me,” before telling him to take off his shoes. The boy said he told Rambo he did not have to do this, then ran to a friend's house for help once the attack ended, describing Rambo as appearing to be in shock afterward.
The attack happened in the morning on Meredith Court.
Detective Testifies Rambo Admitted Attack, Cited Voices
A Virginia Beach police detective testified that Rambo admitted in an interview to stabbing the juvenile. Rambo reportedly told investigators he heard voices in his head directing him to go to the Food Lion to cut up and kill the victim, and that he stopped only after a voice in his head told him he was done. Rambo was later seen washing up at the Food Lion after the attack.
Suspect's Recent Release and Pending Charges
Rambo, 33 at the time of his arrest on Oct. 17, 2025, had multiple prior felony convictions and had been released from the Virginia Department of Corrections on May 20, 2025 — less than five months before the attack — according to the City of Virginia Beach. He has been arrested and charged with several felonies, including abduction, malicious assault, and stabbing in the commission of a felony.
Monday's hearing took place in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. The boy was permitted to testify from a separate room via video. Rambo's next court date is set for December.
Case Lands Amid Falling Local Crime Numbers
The case comes as Virginia Beach officials have touted improving public safety figures. In February, Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate reported that violent crime in the city dropped 6.7% in 2025 to 419 reported offenses, marking a five-year low, per the city's own data. The attack on Meredith Court nonetheless adds to a string of unsettling violent incidents in Virginia Beach, including a separate case Hoodline reported on in October involving a man stabbed at a Virginia Beach Boulevard bus stop.
