Allegedly, a 57-year-old man named Joseph O’Connor in Florida crashed into two police cars and then yelled “shot” at the police.
Last Sunday, before 2 pm local time in Lakeland, Florida, O’Connor allegedly drove his white Dodge pickup truck into a person’s yard and damaged their sprinkler system. The person then called the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
According to WTVT, the deputy who answered the phone tried to talk to O’Connor, but O’Connor allegedly escaped. The police officers then drove to pursue the suspect. They tried to pull O’Connor’s car over with sirens and patrol lights. But when the officer started walking towards his car, he reportedly speeded up to escape.
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Since the nearby area is near the country club golf course, the deputy decided not to pursue O’Connor any more. The representatives said that the police chased down golf carts and slower vehicles that could endanger the local streets.
Instead, the deputy called in more patrol cars and a helicopter. Eventually, two patrol cars stopped in front of and behind O’Connor’s car to prevent him from driving away. In response, O’Connor allegedly rammed his vehicle into the car in front of him. He allegedly then reversed and crashed into a patrol car behind him.
“Get the fuck out of here,” O’Connor reportedly told the delegates to “shoot me the fuck,” he allegedly added, while waving a hunter at the delegates while sitting in his car. Knife. Allegedly, O’Connor subsequently lost his knife and rammed his vehicle into the patrol car again.
The delegates then used taser, pepper spray and bean bag rounds on him, and eventually subdued him and was arrested. He is now facing charges of severely assaulting law enforcement officers, burglary, running away, resisting law enforcement officers with violence, criminal hoaxes, resisting law enforcement officers without violence, trespassing and disobeying legal orders. .
Although the police have not yet commented on the motive behind O’Connor’s alleged actions, his request for the police to shoot him may be evidence of “police suicide.” The term refers to people deliberately angering the police to shoot them deadly.
The most recent “police suicide” incident occurred in March, when Police shot and killed 34-year-old Los Angeles resident David Ordaz Jr. In front of his house. The man’s sister said that he had hoped that the police would kill him.
2019 report police The Executive Research Forum (PERF) found that from 2015 to 2018, 10% to 29% of fatal police officer shootings in the United States involved “police suicides”.
In order to reduce such incidents, PERF recommends increasing training and appeals to officials who have received training in mental health crisis intervention. The organization also recommends that officers use ammunition with lower lethality instead of targeting people with mental problems. Finally, the group recommends involving emotional people in the conversation, rather than yelling that will exacerbate the situation.
If you have suicidal thoughts, you can get confidential help for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.call 1-800-273-8255. This line is available 24 hours a day.
