Royal Farms Worker Says He Tried To Stop Stabbing Suspect, Now Faces Attempted Murder Charges

LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — A Lexington Park man facing attempted murder charges says he was trying to help during a violent emergency when he attempted to stop a man accused of stabbing a Royal Farms employee outside the business in December.

Brian Taylor, 40 of Lexington Park, is scheduled for trial in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court in connection with a Dec. 29, 2025, incident at the Royal Farms on Tulagi Place in Lexington Park.

The case has drawn questions from Taylor’s family and supporters because the man accused in the stabbing, Lavontae Draven Solomon, 19 of Lexington Park, is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and carrying a dangerous weapon with intent to injure, while Taylor is charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and two traffic-related counts connected to leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily injury.

Court documents describe a chaotic early-morning confrontation that began with a stabbing outside the business and later led to allegations involving a pickup truck striking the person accused in the stabbing.

Prosecutors’ case appears to center on whether Taylor intentionally used his truck as a weapon after the stabbing.

According to charging documents, deputies responded around 1 a.m. to the Royal Farms after a report of a stabbing. Deputies were told the person involved in the stabbing was still in the area behind the business near South Coral Drive.

Charging documents allege Solomon became involved in an altercation outside the store with a Royal Farms employee. Investigators said the employee suffered incised wounds to his hand and cheek.

In an audio statement provided to The BayNet, Taylor said he believes he has been overcharged for trying to help during a violent emergency.

“I have been overcharged by this county for saving my co-worker from repeatedly getting stabbed,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he was working at Royal Farms at the time and did not expect to encounter a life-threatening emergency. He said he and others called 911 after the stabbing.

Asked in the audio whether he tried to stop the person from getting away, Taylor answered, “Yes.” Asked whether he called 911, Taylor said, “Yes, everybody called 911. I called 911.”

Taylor said the injured employee had been stabbed in the head, cheekbone, neck and hand, and said the employee nearly lost a finger.

Taylor’s family and supporters have questioned why Taylor is facing the more serious charges, saying he stepped in during a violent attack and acted to protect an injured Royal Farms employee before deputies arrived.

Supporters have also circulated a flyer titled “Good Samaritan or Criminal?” arguing that Taylor was a worker who intervened during a violent emergency. The flyer asks whether people who step in during violent attacks could later face serious criminal charges.

Charging documents, however, allege surveillance video showed Solomon later running toward a bicycle near the business before a dark pickup truck followed him through the parking lot toward South Coral Drive.

Investigators wrote that a witness reported seeing a black truck with a red Chevrolet logo turn toward the bicyclist and strike him. The witness believed the collision appeared intentional, according to charging documents.

Deputies later located the suspected vehicle, described in court documents as a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado, at a Franklin Road residence. Investigators said the truck had damage consistent with a collision on the driver’s side front bumper, along with what appeared to be small droplets of fluid consistent with blood near the same area.

Taylor was later taken into custody. Charging documents state he confirmed being a maintenance employee at Royal Farms and confirmed driving his black Chevrolet pickup truck to the business that night.

Taylor’s supporters say the full circumstances should be reviewed closely, including surveillance video, witness statements and the injured employee’s account.

A hearing in Taylor’s case is set for July 31 in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court, with a jury trial scheduled to begin Aug. 3.

A hearing in Solomon’s case is set for Aug. 14 in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court, with a jury trial scheduled to begin Aug. 17.

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