JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After receiving treatment at a Jacksonville hospital, a man that police say approached a mark patrol car in a grocery store parking lot, attempting to get inside, was taken to the Duval County jail and held without bond.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the man is charged with resisting an officer with violence and simple assault on a law enforcement officer. Due to the man’s documented mental health history, News4JAX has refrained from using his name.
The Sheriff’s Office said the officer was working an off-duty job Friday night at the downtown Harveys Supermarket, sitting in his cruiser, when a man approached from the rear and tried to get in via the rear driver’s side door.
The arrest report states that the officer got out of the car, pushing the man away. It states the man pushed back and then chased the officer around his vehicle from the rear toward the front.
“The subject became aggressive, took an aggressive stance and began advancing towards the officer,” Assistant Chief Shawn Coarsey said on the night of the incident.
Coarsey explained that 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.
As written in the police report, the officer deployed his taser after a complete lap around the vehicle, which was also reported by Coarsey.
According to Coarsey, the officer checked the man’s vitals, but could not find a heartbeat. The officer began CPR and used his AED -- and the man’s heartbeat returned. He was hospitalized in critical, but stable condition.