A 22-year-old St. Augustine woman is facing attempted murder charges after she stabbed a priest in the chest, puncturing his lung, during an unprovoked attack in the Old City early Wednesday morning.

The Attack on Fr. Matthew Marino

Father Matthew Marino, of Trinity Parish Church, was sitting outside Juniper Market on San Marco Ave. with a friend around 8:05 a.m. when Arieana Gibbs rode up on a bicycle.

“Excuse me, sir,” Gibbs said before suddenly plunging a knife below his collarbone.

Marino and his friend managed to fight her off before she could strike again. As she fled, they tried to knock her off her bike, but moments later, Marino collapsed.

The stab wound pierced his lung, causing internal bleeding and breathing difficulties, officials said. He was rushed to the hospital with a collapsed lung but is now in stable condition.

“Without life-saving efforts by EMTs, the victim very well could have died,” police said.

Previous Attempted Attack at McDonald’s

Before attacking Marino, Gibbs allegedly tried to stab a McDonald’s employee just minutes earlier.

At 8:00 a.m., she walked into the McDonald’s on N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. and approached a worker cleaning the soda machine.

“Can you help me with something?” she asked before grabbing the worker’s arm and pulling out a knife.

The employee managed to break free and alert coworkers, police said. Several witnesses saw the altercation.

Arrest and Charges

Police used a witness’s photo of Gibbs fleeing on her bike and her cellphone, which she left at the scene, to track her down. She was arrested within two hours of the attacks.

Gibbs appeared in court Thursday on charges of:

• Attempted second-degree murder
• Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
• Felony battery

Prosecutors argued that Gibbs is a danger to the community and should not be released, citing a prior battery conviction and her escalating violence.

“The randomness of these attacks within such a short time is particularly concerning,” said State Attorney R.J. Larizza.

Judge Lee Smith granted the prosecution’s request to keep her in custody.