( CNN ) -- A former Florida middle school principal stabbed four people Friday at a group home for the hearing impaired , killing two of them , then struck five others with a car , the Pinellas County Sheriff 's Office said . The suspect -- identified by the sheriff 's office as Anthony Giancola -- was taken into police custody after being tracked down by K-9 unit members . He has been arrested and formally booked on two counts of first-degree murder , sheriff 's spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda said . Authorities said they first learned around 10:45 a.m. that four people had been stabbed at the group home in Lealman , a community just north of St. Petersburg . One man , later identified as 27-year-old Justin Lee Vanderbergh , was pronounced dead at the scene , the sheriff 's office said . Three women were sent to a local hospital , where one of them -- 59-year-old Mary Anne Allis -- ended up succumbing to her injuries . The other two , ages 25 and 43 , suffered what the sheriff 's office said were non-life-threatening injuries . All four stabbed were the only residents of the one-story home , Barreda said . After talking with witnesses , authorities identified the suspect as the 45-year-old Giancola . The suspect fled the scene and headed toward a motel in nearby Pinellas Park , where a man and woman were assaulted , authorities said . The sheriff 's office said the man 's injuries `` appear to be life-threatening . '' From there , the suspect left and is thought to have spoken briefly to people outside a duplex before abruptly leaving , then returning in his vehicle -- slamming into three women and one man in the process . The women were all transported to an area hospital , while the man chose not to go . The sheriff 's office said the suspect then drove west and struck another person , this time a 13-year-old boy . The child suffered only minor injuries . The suspect ended up at the Egg Platter restaurant in Pinellas Park , where he left his vehicle , entered another vehicle and fled . He was detained shortly after 1 p.m. , the sheriff 's office said . Barreda explained that the sheriff 's office is only responsible for levying charges in certain areas , adding that Giancola could face more charges from police in other jurisdictions for the alleged assaults and hit-and-runs . He is now in Pinellas County Jail awaiting his initial court appearance . It was not clear whether he had retained a lawyer . This is not Giancola 's first run-in with the law . In February 2007 , when he was a principal at a middle school in Hillsborough County , he was caught buying crack cocaine from an undercover police officer -- an exchange captured on video that happened inside his principal 's office while school was in session . Months later , he pleaded guilty and that June told CNN that there was `` no excuse for my behavior . '' Giancola said at his sentencing that he hoped to become a drug counselor after being released from jail . `` Before I could ever hope to go on and help anyone again , I need to help myself , '' Giancola told CNN . `` I 'm very thankful I was arrested , and it kind of brought that crazy train to an end . '' Then , in early 2010 , Giancola was arrested again and charged on two counts -- intent to purchase cocaine and loitering -- according to online records from the Pinellas County Sheriff 's Office . CNN 's Greg Botelho and Chandler Friedman contributed to this report .
Giancola is in custody on 4 first -degree murder counts , with more charges possible . Witnesses say he stabbed 4 people at a group home for the hearing impaired , a sheriff says . The suspect is accused of assaulting two others , and hitting 4 more with a vehicle . Authorities caught Anthony Giancola , then a principal , buying crack cocaine in his office in 2007 .