Port St. John, FL - A man has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed two family members at a Brevard County home, then armed himself with a machete and sought refuge from police in a local motel.
According to investigators, the stabbings occurred around 9:57 p.m. when a woman's cries for help prompted her daughter to investigate.
The daughter, accompanied by another family member, entered the room and discovered Larry Speer Jr. choking the woman while viciously stabbing her.
Speer proceeded to shatter an object, using it to strike the second family member on the head.
He then walked past his victims and proceeded to the kitchen, where he seized another knife.
Speer then returned to the bedroom where he resumed his attack on the woman.
Someone inside the home dialed 911, prompting Speer to flee the scene.
Law enforcement launched a manhunt for Speer, tracking him down at a Titusville motel.
Cornered and armed with a machete, Speer barricaded himself inside a bathroom, only to be apprehended by authorities after a tense standoff.
Speer faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated battery on a person older than 65.
His criminal history is marred by 15 prior felony charges and two previous prison sentences.