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Man Attacks Realtor Agent With Hammer

Police Say Man Was Hanging Around Real Estate Office, Learning Names, Routines

POSTED: Wednesday, July 1, 2009
UPDATED: 8:44 am EDT July 2, 2009

A 57-year-old woman attacked by a man with a hammer at a beaches real estate office Tuesday afternoon is recovering and the man accused in the attack is in jail charged with attempted murder.

According to the Jacksonville Beach police, the woman was working in her real estate office at in the 3000 block of South Third Street just after 1 p.m. when Richard William Medeiros entered and said he wanted to buy a house. The victim told police that she spent about 45 minutes showing him available properties on the computer before he pulled out a hammer and struck her on the back of the head.

According to the arrest report, the victim wrestled the hammer away from Medeiros before he could hit her again, then stuck him with it. A man from the neighboring office told Channel 4 he chased Medeiros out of the building and threw a paperweight at him and followed him to a wooded area behind the office and waited until police arrived.

Richard Medeiros
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office booking photo of Richard Medeiros
Officers using a K-9 located Medeiro hiding in a shed. When the K-9 was released, Medeiros gave up. He was transported to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center for injures.

According to the report, a knife was found on the ground beside Medeiros when he was arrested.

"Obviously his intentions were a lot more than you realize," said Josette Deloach, a real estate agent lives nearby. "It wasn't just the hammer. If he had a knife, then he had other plans."

Investigators learned that Medeiros had been seen around the business over the past three week and they believe he was learning the agent's names and routines.

"He had a hammer. He hit her with a hammer," said a caller to 911. "Please send an ambulance."

The woman attacked was treated and released for her injuries. She told officers she believed he was trying to kill her.

Medeiros was in a wheel chair when he appeared before a judge on Wednesday.

Channel 4's Vickie Pierre had other questions about the attack, but Jacksonville Beach Police Department’s public information officer refused to grant an interview because he said he was upset with WJXT over a story the station aired over the weekend about parking at the beaches.
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