St. Lucie sheriff's detective fires shots toward suspect jumping fence; man arrested
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A man ran from deputies, hopped a fence and pulled a gun toward law enforcement before a detective fired at him six times without hitting him, Sheriff Ken Mascra said Tuesday.
No one was injured in the gunfire that happened around 2 p.m. Monday, he said.
It all began when deputies with the St. Lucie County warrants unit and a U.S. Marshals Task Force tracked down Marques Jones and tried to serve him with a warrant for his arrest at a house in the 3000 block of Avenue R in the Fort Pierce area.
Jones, 39, was wanted in connection to a domestic incident in Port St. Lucie and faces charges of aggravated battery, attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery and false imprisonment, Mascara said.
More Port St. Lucie news: 53-year-old motorcycle rider in critical condition after crash in Port St. Lucie
Jones, who was outside the house, spotted the law enforcement agents and ran to a car and retrieved a weapon, according to Mascara. He then fled from officers converging on the area.
A detective in his vehicle pursued Jones and left his car when Jones ran toward a fence.
Body-camera video shows as the detective circled around the open door of his vehicle, he fired six shots toward Jones. The detective told investigators that Jones drew a firearm as he hopped the fence, Mascara said.
Jones did not fire any shots. The detective ordered him to lie down and drop his weapon.
"When he turned to run toward the fence, (the detective) stopped his car and had to get out of his car," Mascara said. "By that time, the subject was jumping the fence and turning and that's when he fired at him. (There was) a lot of decision-making in a very short period of time, which if you don't make the right decision, this deputy doesn't come home."
Jones was arrested and faces the additional charges of possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated assault on law enforcement and resisting arrest, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Mascara said the detective who fired his weapon is on paid administrative leave, which is protocol when a law enforcement officer fires a weapon.
The Sheriff's Office did not release the detective's name.
The sheriff said Jones had a long list of felony arrests and convictions, most of which are in Orange County.
Mauricio La Plante is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow him on Twitter @mslaplantenews or email him at Mauricio.LaPlante@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Sheriff's detective shoots at suspect wanted in Port St. Lucie
