Gainesville Man Sentenced to Nine Months in Jail for Stabbing at The Lab

Jean Carlos De la Cruz-Rivera, 24, was convicted of felony battery on June 17 and sentenced to nine months in jail with 66 days time served, followed by four years of probation. 

On June 25, 2023, patrons of The Lab nightclub flagged down Gainesville Police Department officers who were working patrol downtown to report a stabbing, the police report states. 

The victim told police he was partying for his wife’s birthday when he encountered a suspect matching De la Cruz-Rivera’s description near the exit door. 

The police report states “words were exchanged” between the suspect and the victim before the stabbing. The report doesn’t specify what the argument was about.

One of the witnesses told police that a suspect matching De la Cruz-Rivera’s description stabbed the victim with a Corona beer bottle and stated, “I’ll kill you,” while brandishing a firearm.

The victim’s wife told police she witnessed the suspect stab her husband.

On August 10, 2023, the victim told police, “He received information from an anonymous source about [De la Cruz-Rivera] and provided a photo,” the arrest report states. 

GPD Officer Whitney Williams reported, “Based on the photo provided by the victim, [police were] able to identify [De la Cruz-Rivera] utilizing a law enforcement database."

On October 12, 2023, police made contact with De la Cruz-Rivera at his residence. 

The arrest report states officers asked De la Cruz-Rivera about the stabbing, and he said “he was trying to let some friends into the establishment but was confronted by the victim, words were exchanged, and they had a physical altercation. [De la Cruz-Rivera] denied stabbing the victim, saying when he fought [him], he did not have anything in his hands.”

On May 6, 2024, police arrested De la Cruz-Rivera on a warrant.

De la Cruz-Rivera’s probation conditions will include random drug testing and no contact with the victim.