Lake City police arrest man in Christmas Eve stabbing

Columbia County Sheriff's Office booking photo of Corey Tyrell Barnes

LAKE CITY, Fla. – Acting on a tip over the weekend, Lake City police arrested a 27-year-old man accused of stabbing a man at a family gathering on Christmas Eve.

Corey Tyrell Barnes is accused of attempted murder and resisting arrest in connection with the stabbing of 53-year-old Tony Matchett in the front yard of a home on Inwood Drive.

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Matchett remains hospitalized in stable condition at UF-Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

Columbia County Sheriff's Office booking photo of Corey Tyrell Barnes

Witnesses, including family that had gathered for a Christmas Eve party, identified Barnes (shown in Columbia County booking photo) as the suspect, but he left the scene before officers arrived.

Barnes' sister said he and Matchett were on the front porch when an altercation began, and when family members sent outside, Barnes was on top of the victim, stabbing him.  She said when she attempted to separate them, she was cut in the hand.

On Saturday, police got a tip that Barnes was near his residence in the Windsong Apartments.  While he was not home, officers found him hiding in the rear floor in a car parked nearby, attempting to cover himself with a blanket.