Enid Police Search For Suspect After Sonic Employee Stabbed

The Enid Police Department said it is searching for a suspect after an 18-year-old Sonic employee was stabbed following an alleged robbery.

Officials said the worker stepped in to assist a female carhop who was being held at knifepoint.

The family of the victim identify him as Enid High School senior Zain Dexter. People in the area said they were shocked to hear what happened.

“I heard screaming outside or yelling and I walked outside and there’s a Sonic employee,” Enid resident Jay Redelsperger said.

According to police, a 19-year-old female carhop said a man walked up and ordered from one of the drive-in stalls.

When she took the food out to him, he pulled a knife from his pocket and demanded money. The man then grabbed her wallet.

“The carhop screamed,” Enid Police Department Sergeant Roberto Norton said. “Summoning the attention of the 18-year-old employee of Sonic who was taking out the garbage at the time.”

The employee taking out the trash was Dexter, who chased after the robber and caught up to him just a few blocks from the Sonic. Dexter tried taking back her wallet, but he was stabbed.

He was transported to OU Medical Center and is in stable condition, but the suspect was never caught.

“It was pretty unnerving because the individual was running loose in my neighborhood,” Redelsperger said. “I didn’t know if he was hiding around the corner somewhere.”

A surveillance camera caught the suspect leaving in a dark-colored SUV. He’s described to be around five feet, nine inches tall. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored hoodie, jeans and a blue hospital mask.

“Someone’s going to hear something,” Norton said. “Someone’s going to see something.”

The Enid community was stunned by the news, including Dexter’s track and field coach, Kareem Sears, who said, in part:

“…Zain has always had heart. The entire track team and my staff are pulling for a speedy recovery...”

No one else was hurt during this incident.