BURLINGTON, VT- On Tuesday morning, January 14th, an off-duty police sergeant getting ready to begin his shift was attacked by a man with a meat cleaver in the lobby of the police department.
According to NECN, authorities with the Burlington Police Department (BPD) said that the incident happened around 5:30 p.m. when the off-duty sergeant arrived to the station on North Avenue. He was in plain clothes as he entered the lobby to begin his shift. When the sergeant entered the lobby, he saw a man standing in the lobby and immediately recognized him from prior police interactions. The man was identified as 34-year-old Eric Jones of Burlington.
Without comment, the man held up a meat cleaver, pointed it towards the sergeant and raised it over his head. A struggle ensued and the sergeant was able to eventually remove the meat cleaver from Jones' hand. However, Jones then took out a second weapon, a kitchen knife, from his coat pocket and attempted to stab the sergeant in the stomach.
The sergeant was able to wrestle the second weapon away from Jones as well and threw both of the weapons outside of the lobby into the parking lot as he continued to struggle with Jones. Eventually, the sergeant was able to separate himself from Jones, leave the lobby with him trapped inside, and call for assistance. Responding officers then took him into custody.
Jones, who has prior misdemeanor assault charges, is now facing a charge of aggravated assault in connection with what happened on Tuesday in the lobby of the police station. The off-duty sergeant was not injured in the incident. MYNBC5 reported that while the off-duty sergeant was not injured, Chief Jon Murad said that the incident highlights the need for increased security measures at the BPD station.
Murad said, "This is an incredibly alarming, frightening, terrible incident. It happened in our facility in a place where, you know, employees are frankly sort of expecting to feel safe and secure. It was by the grace of a lack of aggression and of a well-trained capable sergeant that there was no harm or physical harm that came from this."
Murad said the station has already begun enhancing the employee entrance with new safety features. He said, "We have to have a facility that is secure and is safe and not just for our police employees, but for the very many employees here who are not trained in the same way this sergeant was."
After the incident, a police officer when to Jones' home, where he lives with his mother, Charlotte Moore. The affidavit says that the officer reported that Jones appeared to have exited the house after breaking screen out of a window. Police said Moore confirmed that the knives used in the alleged attack came from her home. Jones was released into the custody of his mother with a citation to appear in court on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The Burlington Police Officers' Association (BPOA) also responded to the incident, saying in part, "No one, including police officers, should be fearful of assault, injury and potentially death merely coming and going from their place of employment." In their statement, BPOA said that this is not the first time this type of incident has taken place in the police station. A similar incident reportedly happened in 2023 when an officer in plain clothes was assaulted in the parking lot leading to the employee entrance.
According to NECN, authorities with the Burlington Police Department (BPD) said that the incident happened around 5:30 p.m. when the off-duty sergeant arrived to the station on North Avenue. He was in plain clothes as he entered the lobby to begin his shift. When the sergeant entered the lobby, he saw a man standing in the lobby and immediately recognized him from prior police interactions. The man was identified as 34-year-old Eric Jones of Burlington.
Without comment, the man held up a meat cleaver, pointed it towards the sergeant and raised it over his head. A struggle ensued and the sergeant was able to eventually remove the meat cleaver from Jones' hand. However, Jones then took out a second weapon, a kitchen knife, from his coat pocket and attempted to stab the sergeant in the stomach.
The sergeant was able to wrestle the second weapon away from Jones as well and threw both of the weapons outside of the lobby into the parking lot as he continued to struggle with Jones. Eventually, the sergeant was able to separate himself from Jones, leave the lobby with him trapped inside, and call for assistance. Responding officers then took him into custody.
Jones, who has prior misdemeanor assault charges, is now facing a charge of aggravated assault in connection with what happened on Tuesday in the lobby of the police station. The off-duty sergeant was not injured in the incident. MYNBC5 reported that while the off-duty sergeant was not injured, Chief Jon Murad said that the incident highlights the need for increased security measures at the BPD station.
Murad said, "This is an incredibly alarming, frightening, terrible incident. It happened in our facility in a place where, you know, employees are frankly sort of expecting to feel safe and secure. It was by the grace of a lack of aggression and of a well-trained capable sergeant that there was no harm or physical harm that came from this."
Murad said the station has already begun enhancing the employee entrance with new safety features. He said, "We have to have a facility that is secure and is safe and not just for our police employees, but for the very many employees here who are not trained in the same way this sergeant was."
After the incident, a police officer when to Jones' home, where he lives with his mother, Charlotte Moore. The affidavit says that the officer reported that Jones appeared to have exited the house after breaking screen out of a window. Police said Moore confirmed that the knives used in the alleged attack came from her home. Jones was released into the custody of his mother with a citation to appear in court on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The Burlington Police Officers' Association (BPOA) also responded to the incident, saying in part, "No one, including police officers, should be fearful of assault, injury and potentially death merely coming and going from their place of employment." In their statement, BPOA said that this is not the first time this type of incident has taken place in the police station. A similar incident reportedly happened in 2023 when an officer in plain clothes was assaulted in the parking lot leading to the employee entrance.
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Comments
2025-01-19T17:56-0500 | Comment by: natalie
This has happened before and still no cameras or any type of security, what are they waiting for, for someone to be seriously injured or worse?
2025-01-20T00:35-0500 | Comment by: James
So what did the pig do to provoke the incident ????