JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police have arrested a man on attempted murder charges after they said he shot at officers in Arlington on Tuesday night.
Investigators said 20-year-old Fred Childs fired at least nine shots at an unmarked police car. Two bullets hit the driver's side of the car but did not penetrate the cab, police said.
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"One shot hit the driver's door. The other hit the rear passenger door," said Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Lt. Brian Richardson said.
A handgun was recovered, police said.
It's unclear if Childs knew the three unmarked cars conducting surveillance of the area on Justina Road were carrying police officers.
The officers were canvassing the area following a carjacking earlier in the day, and on the third time they rode by, Childs began shooting at them, police said.
The three officers who were shot at, Jonathan Barrier, Douglas Smith and Clayton Thompson, were placed on administrative leave, even though they did not return fire. No one was injured.
Channel 4 crime analyst Ken Jefferson said he commends the officers for not firing back with so many bystanders in the field of fire.
"They got out of the area. They surrounded the area where the shots were fired and managed to get the suspect. Great police work," Jefferson said.
In 1990, an officer was shot and killed across the street from Tuesday night's shooting while doing covert operations. In that shooting, officers fired back at the suspects.