JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police have arrested a suspect after a shot was fired Thursday at a restaurant on Jacksonville's Southside, leaving a bullet lodged in a wall, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Police said four people were sitting at a booth drinking inside the Applebee's restaurant on J. Turner Butler Boulevard near Philips Highway, and a gunshot was fired. One of the patrons was in a wheelchair, police said.
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John Blanks, 40, the man suspected of firing the shot was later arrested on Marsh Landing Parkway and was charged with DUI, armed possession of marijuana and cocaine, and shooting into an occupied building.
Blanks had the gun, 50-rounds of ammo, two bags of marijuana and a baggie of cocaine in the car.
Blanks was sitting at a table engaged in conversation with two other black men; one was in a wheelchair. It is unknown what the men were talking about, but a waitress overheard cursing and asked the men to be mindful of their language because children were at the next table.
The waitress then heard a gunshot, and everyone took off.
The restaurant manager said he saw the guy in the wheelchair wrestle the gun away from the white man. A witness got the tag number of the car the white man fled in, and JSO pulled Banks over a short time later.
Police were called to the restaurant and used surveillance video to find the description of the shooting suspect and the tag number of the vehicle he left in.
A police officer who looked at the surveillance video, said it appeared to show a white man holding the gun, after the gunshot, but when it was fired, it was not visible. The bullet hit the wall.
Officers were headed to his home and spotted him on A1A, taking him into custody on the DUI charge. Police said he admitted to firing one shot, but they are working to determine if the shooting was accidental or if the man was trying to intentionally shoot someone.
Law enforcement arrived at the restaurant quickly after the call, but there were no patrons left or witnesses to the shooting when they got there.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call JSO at 904-630-0500, and a detective will come and take a statement.