ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. — 19-year-old Jaden Perkins has charged for attempted second-degree murder after he allegedly beat an Atlantic Beach Police Department officer.
Jaden Perkins was shot and arrested yesterday morning after he got into a fight with an officer who responding to call that Perkins was disturbing the Panera Bread employees on Atlantic Blvd. in Atlantic Beach. According to police, Perkins was actively punching the police officer in the head and stomping on the officer’s head.
“Witnesses in the area confirm that the officer was laying on the ground and the suspect was actively punching him in the head while he laid on the ground,” said Interim Chief Victor Gualillo.
The responding officer, who has been with Atlantic Beach PD for 18 months but had 27 years of service with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, was beaten unconscious.
A backup officer arrived and told Perkins to stop. Perkins initially complied, and laid on the ground, but then got back up and said ‘you’re going to have to kill me’ and started approaching the backup officer. That officer backed up and tried to distance himself from the suspect.
“That suspect closed distance on our officer, actually tried to grab the officer’s gun, and the officer had no choice at that point but to fire one round to try and stop that person from attacking him,” said Gualillo.
Perkins was shot one time and fell to the ground. He was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries and has since been admitted to the Pre-Trial Detention Center yesterday afternoon, according to the JSO Jail Log.
The Atlantic Beach Police Department said the officer who was hurt is now at home and will be undergoing facial reconstructive surgery next week.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the officer and has raised over two thousand dollars in twenty-four hours.
Cox Media Group
