Family of man stabbed during random attack questions why suspect wasn’t in custody after 14 arrests

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County father is recovering from a stab wound to the back that damaged his spine during one of two random attacks last week allegedly at the hands of a suspect with more than a dozen previous arrests.

Alfonso Peralta was working as a car wash attendant at the Shell gas station on Pleasant Hill Road and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Duluth last Tuesday when he was chased, kicked, and stabbed with a knife, according to Duluth police.

Arrest warrants reveal that Peralta has partial paralysis after the stabbing. His family told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson that the father of four may need up to a year to be able to walk again.

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“He never thought this was going to be the outcome,” said Fatima Platero, the victim’s niece.

Police arrested 37-year-old Warren Crayton early Saturday morning after releasing surveillance video of the incident last week. He’s been charged with six felonies, including charges stemming from another random attack on a 16-year-old at the nearby Kroger that left the teen bloodied, according to police. Tips from the community contributed to the arrest, police said.

Crayton has been arrested 14 times in Gwinnett County, according to jail records. His first arrest dates back to 2006. Just last August, Crayton was arrested after a stranger at Suwanee Creek Park said he hit him over the head repeatedly after the victim told Crayton to put out a cigarette.

Peralta’s family is raising questions about why he was not in jail.

“It just made me feel some type of way and angry at the same time,” said Platero. “How could this man be free?”

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Court records show Crayton pled guilty to battery in the Suwanee incident. A judge nearly revoked his probation last month, in part, for not having proof that he went to anger management classes. The judge let him stay on probation but only if he attended a class that was set for next week.

After the latest incident, Crayton remains in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond.

“A person like that who’s randomly attacking victims shouldn’t be free,” said Platero.

Peralta’s family has set up a GoFundMe to cover extensive hospital expenses due to the attack that has left him unable to walk and unable to work

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