A quiet afternoon in the small town of Sanford, Maine took a terrifying turn when a local food truck owner, David Poto, found himself in an intense and dangerous situation. Poto, his wife, and four young daughters were preparing their food truck for the town’s Christmas tree lighting and “Holly Daze” parade when Poto spotted a man wielding a knife and threatening motorists on the road.
Without hesitation, Poto confronted the man in an attempt to calm the situation. However, the suspect responded with threats to kill Poto and stabbed him. Poto, fearing for his family’s safety and his own, revealed a concealed firearm and told the man to back down. But the suspect ignored the threat and continued to approach Poto with the knife.
“I didn’t want to escalate anything, but I knew the danger was coming towards us,” Poto stated in an interview with the Portsmouth Herald. “Worst-case scenario, I was prepared.” He tried to calm the man down and get him to sit down, but the man didn’t seem to care and continued towards Poto despite the gun being pointed at him.
In a shocking turn of events, Poto fired his gun, striking the suspect in the leg. The man fell to the ground in pain and started yelling accusations of rape, claiming that Poto had shot a woman. The local authorities were quickly notified of the incident, and the parade proceeded as planned at 5:30 PM, followed by the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
The suspect was identified as a 27-year-old man who allegedly approached Addy’s food truck, that was parked in the parking lot of T-Mobile, during the confrontation. Witnesses reported seeing him standing in traffic and yelling at cars with the knife in hand.
The Sanford police department released a statement saying that they received a report about a man being shot at around 3:52 PM on Friday. The witnesses’ statements confirmed that the suspect was shot by Poto after a confrontation in front of the food truck. The man was taken to a local hospital and is currently in critical condition.
The Poto family has been traumatized by the incident, and the impact on their business has been devastating. “I hate the fact that somebody had to get hurt. I hate the fact that he put me in that position in the first place. I didn’t want any part of it,” Poto told the Portsmouth Herald.
The community of Sanford has come together to support the Poto family and their food truck, which is their main source of income. A rally was organized to show the family that they are not alone and that the community stands behind them. Local business owner, Jason Cole, organized the event and stated, “We are honored to help them out… to show them that the community supports them and will help them recover.”
The incident has left Poto and his family struggling to cope. “Those first few days were like a constant adrenaline rush,” Poto told Fox News Digital. “The weight of it all just sort of hit us.” He also expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support from the community during this difficult time.
The investigation is ongoing, and the community waits for updates on the suspect’s condition. In the meantime, the Poto family continues to stay strong and lean on the support of their community as they try to pick up the pieces and move forward.