Man Stabbed 16 Times in Wheaton Apartment Building Lobby

Montgomery County police responding to an emergency call at approximately 10 p.m., April 16, thought they were rushing to the scene of a pedestrian who had been struck by a vehicle in the area of Georgia Avenue and Reedie Drive in Wheaton.

Instead, they found an 18-year-old man who had been stabbed approximately 16 times, according to an April 25 statement from police.

Fire and rescue responders transported him to a local trauma center with life-threatening injuries. He has since been released and is recovering at home, police said.

Police arrested Devante Ryan McNeil, 20, whose address was unconfirmed, without incident on April 18 in Silver Spring, after obtaining an arrest warrant the day before. McNeil is charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and reckless endangerment.

According to police, McNeil and the 18-year-old were known to each other.

McNeil had allegedly told a friend earlier in the day on April 16 that he was angry with the victim regarding a prior incident involving himself and the victim, and that he wanted to fight the victim. 

That evening, McNeil found the 18-year-old in the lobby of an apartment building in the 11100 block of Georgia Avenue, police said.  McNeil allegedly punched the victim in the face and then began to stab him.  The victim was able to grab the knife from McNeil and flee out of the building to Georgia Avenue, police said, and McNeil also fled the scene.  A passerby saw the victim and called police.

According to police, video surveillance shows McNeil and the victim leaving the building after the assault, and officers have found the knife used in the stabbing.