Man Stabbed in Willow Spring; 34-Year-Old Suspect Arrested

A man with life‑threatening stab wounds was discovered Thursday morning on the 9300 block of Kennebec Road in the Willow Spring area and taken to a hospital, Wake County deputies said. Deputies initially responded at about 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 26, 2026, to a reported stabbing and began a multi‑agency search for a suspect.

"Deputies were searching for a man believed to be responsible for this stabbing for nearly four hours," law enforcement updates said, and "Just before 10 a.m., the Wake County Sheriff's Office said they found the man allegedly responsible for sending another to the hospital with life‑threatening injuries early Thursday." Local reporting later identified the person taken into custody as 34‑year‑old Johnny Rodriguez‑Gonzalez of Willow Spring.

"Johnny Rodriguez‑Gonzalez, 34, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury," the subsequent reports stated. WRAL earlier noted that at an earlier point in the morning update deputies had not released an identity and that charges were pending, reflecting the timeline of the investigation and public releases.

Wake County deputies credited assistance from the Fuquay‑Varina Police Department and the Angier Police Department during the search and arrest. Investigators have not released the victim's name, age, or an updated medical status beyond the description of life‑threatening injuries, and no weapon details or motive have been disclosed in the initial reports.

The stabbing prompted a safety response at nearby schools. Willow Spring High School was placed on a code yellow lockdown for about an hour because of police activity in the area; the school, located roughly eight minutes from the Kennebec Road scene but off Kennebec Road, returned to code green by 9:05 a.m., and officials reported students were safe.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Wake County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (919) 856‑6911. Deputies continue to investigate the circumstances of the Feb. 26 incident and the status of formal charges and booking records for Johnny Rodriguez‑Gonzalez remain subject to confirmation through Wake County law enforcement filings.