JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man was arrested for assaulting a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer, Thursday morning outside of the Walmart Supercenter located on Philips Hwy in the Pine Forest neighborhood.
Forty-year-old Joseph Willie Merrill is facing multiple charges including first-degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer; possession of a weapon as a convicted felon; resisting arrest with violence; misdemeanor petit theft; depriving an officer of means of protection or communication.
The incident occurred at approximately 7:24 a.m. when a 911 call of a theft in progress came in from the Walmart Supercenter.
JSO arrest reports detail how a witness allegedly observed a black male stealing items from the store and attempted to stop him, however, the suspect reportedly walked past the witness with a duffle bag full of merchandise.
A female officer, whose identity is protected by Marsy’s Law, approached the suspect matching the witness’s description walking northbound on Philips Hwy, and she questioned him “calmly,’ according to JSO arrest reports.
At 8 a.m., nearby JSO officers were notified of an officer, “alert button going off in the area,” of 4250 Philips Hwy, between Emerson Street and University Boulevard.
JSO officers saw Merrill attacking the female officer on the ground, before dropping the duffle bag and running eastbound across the highway when they approached the two of them.
A brief foot chase ensued after backup officers arrived on the scene and the suspect was captured, read his Miranda rights, and arrested.
According to JSO’s arrest report, a small hatchet was found among the items in the duffle bag, listed as boots, socks, underwear, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.
The value of the property taken from Walmart was $176.45. JSO officers returned the stolen merchandise to the loss prevention department of the store.
The two arrest reports describe the nature of the violent assault, “suspect Merrill grabbed her radio, throwing it away from her person, therefore, preventing [her] from calling for assistance,” in addition to saying the officer, “who was bleeding from the mouth, advising she was punched by the suspect.”
The female officer, whom Merrill assaulted, suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
She is recovering in a local hospital, and any further details on her condition or whereabouts are included in the protections of Marsy’s Law.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released a statement, where Sheriff T.K. Waters describes the violent attack, and thanks the people who helped to catch the suspect.
Joseph Willie Merrill is currently in custody at JSO’s Pre-Trial Detention Facility.
Below is the statement from Sheriff Waters.
“Earlier today, a member of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a local business in reference to a reported theft. Upon arrival, the officer located the apparent suspect as he was walking away from the area. As they conversed, the suspect suddenly, and without provocation, struck the officer in the face knocking her to the ground. The suspect got on top of her and continued striking her as a second officer approached and then attempted to flee. The suspect, later identified as Joseph Merrill (Black/Male 40), was apprehended after a short foot pursuit.
Our officer was transported to a local hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries where she was admitted and is recovering. As she has requested to not be identified under the provisions of Marsy’s Law, we are unable to identify her at this time.
“My thoughts and prayers are with our officer. This is one of those very unfortunate incidents that force us all in law enforcement to realize the job we signed up to do can be a dangerous one. I thank those who came to the officer’s aid, police and civilian. Thanks to them, this violent suspect will now have his day in court to explain his actions.” - Sheriff T.K. Waters
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