DAVENPORT, Fla. (WFLA) — A Davenport woman was stabbed nine times by a random attacker while on the job at a RaceTrac store, according to police.

The Davenport Police Department said at around 4:40 a.m., officers responded to a stabbing at the RaceTrac at 38425 Highway 27.

Investigators said the victim, a female clerk, encountered the alleged assailant, 29-year-old Marc Caseaf Tucker, when he entered the store to use the restroom and look at some of the store’s items.

The clerk asked Tucker if he needed any help, but he declined, according to a DPD release.

When the clerk went to stock some food, Tucker stabbed her from behind multiple times, officers said.

“At one point, she’s running down the aisle and she slips and falls. He gets on top of her, not necessarily straddling her but gets on top of her, and starts stabbing her more. We determined he got her like four times in the chest at that point,” said Davenport Police Chief Steve Parker.

The department said other clerks in the store, who did not see the attack itself, heard the victim’s screams and saw Tucker run out of the store into the woods nearby. The clerks then tended to the victim’s wounds until first responders arrived.

“This was simply an unprovoked, random attack for no apparent reason other than the suspect, Marc Tucker, committing an evil act,” Chief Steve Parker said. “The fact that the store clerk resisted and fought her attacker certainly facilitated her survival.”

In a statement, a corporate spokesperson from RaceTrac said the company was “saddened by this unprovoked act of violence.”

“Given the 24-hour nature of our business, the safety of our team members and guests is at the forefront of every decision we make.  We are constantly evaluating our store environment, safety protocols and training to minimize the likelihood of these events occurring,” the statement from the company reads.

Officers arrested Tucker without incident after he left the woods, the report said. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder.

The victim was taken to a hospital where she was treated for her injuries.

“We are praying for a quick recovery of the store clerk, and will do all we can to ensure Mr. Tucker is held accountable for his senseless actions,” Parker said.

According to police, Tucker is from Winter Haven but is homeless. He was previously released from prison in 2023 after serving less than a year for battering a law enforcement officer.