JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police arrested two men seen brazenly carrying guns after a fight earlier this month in Riverside’s Five Points historic district, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
JSO Director of Investigations Mike Bruno said the situation could have ended differently had it not been for community members providing information and police acting quickly.
Bruno said that in the evening hours of Feb. 5, officers were called to break up a fight involving about 20 people outside a bar on Park Street in Five Points, but by the time police arrived, those involved in the fight had scattered.
About 20 minutes later, Bruno said, police conducting a traffic stop in the area were flagged down by someone who reported seeing two men, who had been involved in the fight, carrying guns while walking on a sidewalk.
“This is just another example of how dangerous police work can be. In a moment’s notice, these officers go from the traffic stop to looking for two individuals in the area carrying rifles,” Bruno said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “These officers knew that if they don’t find these individuals quickly, something bad can happen.”
Bruno said the officers immediately began to search the area and stopped the two men -- identified by JSO as Charles Janes and Damon Williams -- on Post Street at Oak Street, near where the fight happened. According to Bruno, the two men told police they weren’t involved in the altercation and they didn’t know anything about any guns, but about 20 feet away, police located a shotgun and a rifle loaded with a drum magazine.
“They didn’t like the way the fight turned out. One of them has a mark on his face -- that’s not from officer interaction, that’s from the fight earlier,” Bruno said. “They were returning to the scene of the fight.”
Bruno said witnesses were able to identify the two suspects and police also found surveillance video showing “how brazen” the men were as they strolled down sidewalks in Five Points.
“It’s a very busy area. You can tell from all the cars and all the traffic, walking by people. People are beginning to notice this,” Bruno said as the surveillance footage played during Thursday’s news conference. “We have all kinds of things that happen in Jacksonville. The reality of it is when you see it on video, on surveillance, it’s just shocking.”
This video depicts Williams and Janes walking in the Five Points area with long guns on the evening of Friday, February 5, 2021.
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) February 18, 2021
4/4 pic.twitter.com/lAJBwWOGUw
Janes, 18, and Williams, 27, are each charged with open carrying of firearms. Janes is also charged with giving a false name or identification to law enforcement, resisting police without violence, and possession of a weapon or ammunition by a Florida delinquent adult felon.
Bruno said the incident highlights the importance of community engagement.
“Folks, this could have been national news, however, because of the citizens being observant and providing that information to our officers, and our officers quickly intervening, it changes the story dramatically,” he said. “Our community needs to continue talking about community engagement. This is a great example of what it looks like so that we can intervene on behalf of our community and prevent something tragic from occurring. There are many ways that the police and the people of Jacksonville can work together and fight crime and win.”
He reminded the public: “If you see something that seems suspicious, say something to police.”
Both Janes and Williams were booked into the Duval County jail in the early morning hours of Feb. 6 and have since been released on bond.