JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A police officer who was working an off-duty job Friday night at the downtown Harveys Supermarket was sitting in his marked patrol car when a man approached the cruiser from the rear and attempted to get inside, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant Chief Shawn Coarsey, with the Sheriff’s Office, said police were called to the scene on Market Street at about 5:40 p.m. He said the officer was in the cruiser, in his full police uniform when the man tried to open the driver’s side rear door.
Coarsey said the officer got out, grabbed the man and removed him from the vehicle.
“When the officer did that, the subject became aggressive, took an aggressive stance and began advancing towards the officer,” Coarsey said.
That’s when, Coarsey explained, the officer drew his conducted energy weapon, or taser, and pointed it at the man, giving verbal commands. He said the officer began backing up, attempting to create space between him and the man, but the man kept advancing toward the officer.
“They actually did a complete circle around the police car as the officer was backing up,” Coarsey said. “The subject would not stop advancing on him, so the officer deployed the CEW, which had the desired effect and that subject went to the ground.”
The assistant chief said at that point, the officer called for backup, and as he was waiting, he noticed the man stopped moving. Coarsey said the officer checked his vitals and could not find a heartbeat.
The officer, Coarsey said, began CPR and retrieved his AED from his vehicle, which he used -- and the man’s heartbeat came back. Backup arrived and crews continued CPR before the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department arrived, transporting the man to a hospital, where he was listed as being in critical but stable condition.
The Sheriff’s Office didn’t specify if the man was facing charges.