Overview
- Christopher Steven Schwable, 36, was arrested Tuesday morning near Clear Lake Drive and North Spring Garden Avenue on charges of aggravated child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and he remains in Volusia County custody.
- Police say he grabbed the boy by the throat at the bus stop; a motorist made a U-turn, struck Schwable with a toolbox in self-defense after a knife was displayed, and held him until officers arrived.
- Officers found Schwable bleeding with a head injury and secured a green-and-black folding knife as evidence, with witness and victim accounts described as consistent.
- The child, a Southwestern Middle School seventh grader, suffered a finger cut and was visibly shaken but not seriously hurt, according to authorities.
- Records show Schwable, who is homeless, spent over three weeks in jail on unrelated charges before a Jan. 13 release after prosecutors dropped that case, and investigators have not disclosed a motive or any prior connection to the victim.