Sullivan Clarke, a 13-year-old Florida teen, is going viral for his interview after he survived a slashing attack. Clarke reportedly came close to death when his neck was slashed while attending the Daytona 500 with his family.
Local reports indicated that Clarke and his family were walking along the boardwalk when they stopped to watch the slingshot ride. At this time, a man identified as Jermaine Long approached them and suddenly slashed Clarke’s neck. His mother, Lori, could be heard frantic on the 911 call, saying “My son! My son! Somebody cut his throat!,” as per local reports.
However, they went on to see the races. His father, Jerod, remarked “His neck was hurting, but he really wanted to go, so we tried to keep things as normal as possible, and I said let’s go.”
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Clarke, however, had to be taken to the hospital to get stitches. After 13 of those, doctors deemed he was okay. His mother told WKMG that if the blade had pierced a millimeter more, Clarke would have died. Given the near-death experience, he was called for an interview along with his mother.
However, Clarke’s responses during this television interview have gone viral and endeared him to many online.
The clip shows Clarke opining that the entire matter was kind of ‘stupid’. The rest of the interview video shows Clarke making faces, lounging back, and looking at his mother incredulously and shaking his head when she spoke about him getting nightmares over the incident.
The snippet of the interview has been shared widely online with many commending the way the young boy handled the matter.
Sullivan Clarke interview reactions
Several people reacted to the interview online. “I love this kid got randomly attacked walking feet in front of his parents but handles his news interview like a legend. These used to be the only viral type videos we got.. i miss them..,” one person commented.
Another added “Watch this kids face the entire interview especially when his mother starts to speak.”
Yet another remarked “The 13 year-old kid, Sullivan Clarke, who got his neck slashed was hilarious on Fox News.”
Sullivan Clarke attacker: Who is Jermaine Long?
Long was caught by the police a street over, after the attack. He was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was reportedly ordered to be held without bond.
As per WKMG reports, this is not Long’s first run-in with the law. He is a registered sex offender with a lengthy criminal history in Volusia County. His most recent arrest came in January. As per reports, he was accused of trying to hurt two men with a knife and then went on to hit one with a pole. However, prosecutors had reportedly dropped the charges and Long had been released four days before he attacked Clarke.