The Jones County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an individual with a firearm at the Mattie Wells Gym last week, and the juvenile offender is currently in custody.
A report of the incident by JCSO Deputy Patrick Hammond states he was dispatched to the gym at 3 p.m. Oct. 17 in reference to a suspicious person. When he arrived at the gym, he was met by the complainant, who told him a young black male ran in the building and pulled a pistol while other kids were playing basketball.
The offender reportedly pointed the weapon at the other kids in the gym.
The complainant gave Hammond a description of the suspect and last known direction of travel, and he went after the suspect. When he got to the school, he met a man walking a dog.
After giving the man a description of the suspect, the man said he saw him run into the woods at the edge of Mattie Wells Dr.
The deputy said he parked his car and ran into the woods. When he did not find him, Hammond said he got back in his car and drove down the road. He was flagged down by a resident who said the suspect had taken his wife’s phone to call a family member to pick him up.
Hammond saw the suspect standing in the man’s front yard, got out of his car and drew his weapon. The deputy said he told the suspect to get on the ground, but instead, he took off running.
The deputy pursued the suspect on foot through the woods but lost sight of him at the end of the road. He called for assistance to post up at the end of Mattie Wells Drive and to check any vehicle entering off Highway 49.
Hammond said that was when a man pulled up to ask him if he was looking for a young man with a pistol. He said he was, and the man said he was a family member. The driver told him the suspect was 15 years old and gave the deputy the suspect’s name.
The man said he was going to pick up the suspect, and he would bring him to the officer.
The man pulled back up to Hammond’s patrol car with the suspect. When the young man saw the officer, he attempted to run again. This time the deputy was able to tackle him and place him in the back seat of his car.
The family member gave Hammond the suspect’s name, birthday and address. The suspect no longer had the pistol and said he did not remember where it was. A search of the woods did not locate the weapon.
Hammond said he went back to the gym to get the names of the witnesses and victims. He said the suspect was taken to the Jones County Law Enforcement Center to be booked into the jail. Once he was booked, the officer said he took the juvenile to the Macon RYDC for processing.
A post on the Jones County Sheriff Office Facebook page said the juvenile is currently being held at the Macon Regional Youth Detention Center pending aggravated assault charges.
“The Jones County Sheriff’s Office takes incidents involving firearms and threats to public safety seriously. We appreciate the information provided by witnesses and the quick response of our deputies.”
