PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — An 11-year-old child stabbed a 44-year-old man in the back twice to stop an attack on their mom, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said Panagiotis Karamanlis pulled the child's mom's hair, held her down to the ground and punched her in the face multiple times after an argument began over text messages.
According to an arrest report, the woman told Karamanlis "don't do this in front of the kids," but he ignored her and continued attacking her.
In fear that the child's mother was going to be killed, the 11-year-old grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed Karamanlis twice in the back.
After stabbing Karamanlis, the child was shaking and said, "Mommy, I stabbed him because I thought he was going to kill you!"
Along with the 11-year-old being in an emotional state from the incident, a 10-year-old sibling had to be treated due to having an anxiety attack.
Deputies said Karamanlis admitted to pulling the woman's hair and pulling her down to the ground but denied punching her in the face, despite her "having physical bruising on her entire face." They also said, when asked, Karamanlis told them "of course, I knew the kids were there."
Karamanlis was arrested and charged with domestic battery and child abuse.
"When he was placed under arrest, he stated that he intended to leave the country and go back to Greece," deputies wrote in the arrest report.
This story was originally published on WFTS.
