JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A manhunt that lasted two days in the Lakewood neighborhood for a man the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office considered potentially dangerous came to an end Wednesday, when police said they arrested him at his mother’s house.
News4JAX has chosen not to reveal the man’s name or use his mug shot because the arrest report notes that his mother told police her son has been diagnosed with mental health issues and that he has not been taking his prescribed medication.
Another witness, who on Wednesday spoke to News4JAX on a condition of anonymity, said they’re the man’s neighbor and that an argument between the suspect and another man escalated to gun violence.
The neighbor said he and his wife were awakened Monday to the loud commotion outside their apartment building.
“One male was more aggressive than the other. He was telling him to get away from me. Hide. If you don’t hide, you’re going to receive these bullets,” the neighbor recalled.
“I did not see his face, but once I peeked out the window, I saw him walking down the street towards University Boulevard,” the neighbor said. “Could only see the back of him. After that, I heard the gunshot. I was like, wow. I told my daughter to get down and I told my wife to get down because we didn’t know how much this was going to escalate.”
PREVIOUS STORY: Day later, police officers spotted in Lakewood neighborhood continue manhunt
A woman who arrived at a nearby storage facility told police a man she did not know fired a shot in her direction and then got into a white pickup truck and drove off.
Police said they found a shotgun in the area where the shot was fired from. A BOLO went out for a man in a white pickup truck. Lakewood United Methodist Preschool and Lakewood Presbyterian Preschool both went into lockdown while police searched for the man by air and on the ground.
A woman, who asked not to be identified, spoke to News4JAX on Tuesday and said she and her friend were inside a nearby cemetery when they encountered a man fitting the same description who was standing outside a white pickup truck. At the time, they didn’t know the police were searching for him.
“I automatically got a bad vibe and I called the office of the cemetery because I was afraid. In retrospect, I should have called 911, but I thought we could get out of there fast enough,” she said.
Shortly after 9 a.m., a home security camera recorded the man wearing only underwear while running from a police officer. According to the incident report, an officer confronted the man at gunpoint, but the man ran off. Police located his truck in a nearby parking lot and the search for him continued through the night. The following evening, a police tactical unit showed up at his apartment to arrest him, but he wasn’t inside.
By Wednesday morning, Lakewood Presbyterian Preschool sent out this letter to parents that says:
“We have been notified by a JSO officer that the person of interest has been apprehended.”
The suspect was charged with attempted murder and resisting arrest.