Police are searching for two men involved in an early morning street brawl that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old.
By CHRIS TISCH
Published March 26, 2004
CLEARWATER - A Dunedin man was stabbed to death on Clearwater Beach early Thursday morning after a brawl broke out in the middle of the street.
Police said John F. Lane, 25, was stabbed to death after he and a group of friends got into a fight on Coronado Avenue with the occupants of another car. Those men jumped back into their car after the stabbing and raced away.
Police had not found the men as of Thursday evening, but detectives alerted police agencies across the state to be on the lookout for the car, a newer-model Monte Carlo with a silver paint scheme, distinctive chrome rims and an out-of-state license plate. The tag may have been from Illinois.
Police said Lane and several friends were on Clearwater Beach on Thursday morning. While two of his friends went to get their car - a 1998 Lexus - Lane and another friend waited in the parking lot of the Hess station, 601 S Bayway.
When the friends pulled into the parking lot just after 2 a.m., Lane was arguing with two men in the Monte Carlo. Lane climbed into the Lexus with his friends and left, but the Monte Carlo followed.
Both cars stopped in the 300 block of Coronado Avenue and a fight broke out.
"This is a brawl. This is a no-holds barred exchange of fists," said Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor. "This was abject violence in the middle of the road in the middle of the night."
At some point, the driver of the Monte Carlo pulled out a long, steel weapon and stabbed Lane in the chest. The two men left in the Monte Carlo.
Police have not recovered the weapon and are unsure what it was.
Paramedics took Lane to Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, where he was pronounced dead at 3:19 a.m., Shelor said.
Detectives on Thursday released detailed descriptions of the men and their car, along with photos of a similar Monte Carlo. They also had a composite sketch drawn of the man believed to have stabbed Lane.
"They are hopeful that somebody will see that picture, recognize the way they were dressed ... and the car," Shelor said. "We're hoping somebody last night ran across this duo and will provide us with information leading to their identification."
He said investigators don't think the two groups knew each other before the fight.
Lane is originally from Chicago, but has lived in Pinellas County for a number of years, said Kathy and Tony LaRoche, who once employed Lane at their Dunedin restaurant, the Black Pearl.
They said Lane worked for them about a year before leaving about two months ago. They described him as a terrific chef whose specialty dish - lobster with a vanilla cream sauce - is still requested by customers.
"People keep calling us about it," said Tony LaRoche. "It was fabulous. He was very talented. He was very young. He trained with some wonderful chefs, and I think he was as good as any of them."
Kathy LaRoche said Lane was well-liked.
"We really loved him and thought of him as a son," she said. "He had a wonderful smile. I loved working with him, and he loved food. He had lots of friends. He'll be missed at the Black Pearl."
Lane did have problems with the law. He had been arrested three times since 2001 on domestic battery charges and twice for disorderly conduct.
But the LaRoches said he also doted on a son who was less than a year old. Though the boy's mother had primary custody, Lane had visitation rights, they said.
"That baby is beautiful," Tony LaRoche said.
The couple said they learned of Lane's death from his sister, who called them from Chicago. They said his family members will arrive in Pinellas County today.
"He had a heart of gold," Kathy LaRoche said. "He was a good soul."
Meanwhile, police are hoping someone will recognize the description of the men in the Monte Carlo: The driver was a 23- to 25-year-old white man who stood about 6 feet tall and weighed about 165 pounds. He has short, dark hair and was wearing dark, long pants and a light-colored T-shirt.
His passenger is a white man who stood about 2 inches shorter and appeared a year or two younger. Police said he had very pronounced ears and wore dark long pants and a striped T-shirt.
Anyone with information about their whereabouts or the stabbing can call Detective Steve Bohling at (727) 562-4080.
