Hemet officer injured during violent confrontation, foot pursuit with suspect

HEMET – A citizens’ 911 call regarding suspicious activity at Gibbel park, led to a violent confrontation with a suspect who attacked and injured a Hemet Police officer and led officers on a tense foot pursuit Friday, June 24. The park is located at 2500 W Florida Avenue.

Officers eventually located and arrested Jimmie Taylor, a 43-year old transient, who is on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) for possession of a controlled substance. Officers found Taylor hiding in some trash cans behind a restaurant.

One officer sustained a serious hand injury during the incident involving Taylor, according to police officials. About the dramatic increase of violent encounters involving suspects and Hemet Police officers, a frustrated Chief Dave Brown said, “The violence that my officers are facing day in and day out in our community is simply unacceptable.”

Jennifer Rodrigues – who was at the park with her young children – witnessed the beginning of what turned out to be a wild, but short foot pursuit. From start to finish, the incident lasted about nine minutes but brought an overwhelming response from officers, deputies and Riverside County’s Aviation Unit into the area.

“Backup officers and the sheriff’s helicopter were there almost instantly,” Rodrigues said about the terrifying incident.

“We were at the park with our kids playing when we saw a group of three men and one woman enter the men’s bathroom,” Rodrigues explained. “Another person at the park entered the bathroom with his son and felt too scared and uncomfortable to use the restroom so he called the police to report the suspicious activity.”

At about 1:55 p.m., an officer responded to the park to investigate the citizen’s report of suspicious circumstances and what was reported to possibly be drug activity occurring inside the park’s restroom.

Upon arrival, the officer encountered four people in the restroom.

“An officer showed up and escorted the four subjects out of the bathroom and had them up against the wall outside the bathroom,” according to Rodrigues.

When the lone officer attempted to arrest one of the suspects, later identified as Taylor, the man allegedly violently resisted the officer. The officer immediately put out an emergency call for assistance. In an attempt to control the violently resisting suspect, the officer deployed his taser at the man. Despite being tasered by the officer, Taylor fled from the officer on foot.

“You would think he would have dropped but no,” Rodrigues said. “He…ripped out the taser (probes) and took off running before he jumped a wall.”

The officer gave chase as assisting officers converged on the area, established a perimeter while other officers continued to pursue Taylor.

With assistance from the sheriff’s helicopter and witnesses who saw Taylor fleeing from the pursuing officers, Taylor was located hiding in a trash enclosure near the El Pollo Loco restaurant located on Florida Avenue.

Taylor was taken into custody and arrested for violation of his Post Release Community Supervision, resisting a peace officer with violence, and possession of a narcotic.

A jail records search revealed Taylor was booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of resisting arrest with violence, possession of a controlled substance and revocation of his PRCS probation. Taylor is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at an unspecified court, June 28.

HEMET POLICE RADIO LOG FROM INCIDENT.
EDITED WITH BRIEF EXPLANATIONS (IN PARENTHESIS.)

2:00 PM  FIRST UNIT 97 AREA (ARRIVED)
2:08 PM  OUT WITH FOUR FROM BROOM (BATHROOM)
2:09 PM  SUS PHYS. (FIGHTING WITH OFFICER)
2:09 PM  11-11 (OFFICER NEEDS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE)
2:09 PM  FOOT PURSUIT
2:10 PM  SUS (SUSPECT) RUNNING S/B (SOUTHBOUND) GIBBEL
2:10 PM  SUS GOING OVER WALL
2:10 PM  RUNNING W/B BEHIND BOWLING ALLEY
2:10 PM  BMA (BLACK MALE ADULT)
2:10 PM  WANT IS 148 (WANTED FOR RESISTING ARREST)
2:11 PM  POSSIBLY F (FRANK — WANTED FELON/WARRANT)
2:11 PM  RUNNING S/W, WEST OF BOWLING ALLEY THROUGH FIELD
2:11 PM  STAR (RSO HELICOPTER) RESPONDING
2:11 PM  STAR LIFTING OFF FROM H/R (HEMET-RYAN AIRPORT)
2:11 PM  NEED RESPONDING UNITS TO FIELD W/O BOWLING ALLEY
2:12 PM  1ST UNIT 97 (ARRIVED)
2:12 PM  2ND UNIT 97
2:12 PM  WHAT WAS LAST KNOWN DOT? (DIRECTION OF TRAVEL)
2:12 PM  LAST SEEN RUNNING WEST SIDE OF BOWLING ALLEY
2:12 PM  STAR 97 — OVERHEAD SEARCHING
2:13 PM  PER WIT (WITNESS) SUS POSS JUST SEEN RUNNING TOWARDS FLORIDA
2:13 PM  NOW RUNNING TOWARDS OLD LONG JOHN SILVERS
2:13 PM  SUS WR’G (WEARING) BLACK BEANIE AND JEANS
2:14 PM  NEXT UNIT 97 AREA
2:15 PM  NEG BEANIE, WAS BLACK ‘DOO RAG
2:15 PM  2ND WIT SAW SUS RUNNING S/B TOWARDS EL POLLO LOCO
2:15 PM  WIT SAID SUS HAD NO SHIRT, TRAILING METAL WIRES BEHIND HIM
2:15 PM  CONF. CORR. SUS — WAS TASED
2:16 PM  MULTIPLE UNITS CONV’G (CONVERGING ON AREA)
2:16 PM  SUS HIDING IN TRASH CAN PER STAR
2:16 PM  10-33 (EMERGENCY RADIO TRAFFIC) ONE AT GUNPOINT
2:16 PM  SUS FOUND S/O BOWLING ALLEY IN TRASH CAN BEHIND EL POLLO LOCO
2:16 PM  UNITS TAKING SUS INTO CUSTODY PER STAR
2:16 PM  CD-4 (SITUATION UNDER CONTROL)
2:16 PM  ONE DETAINED

 

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