BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. – A police officer in Lawtey, Florida, was confronted with a dangerous situation during a call to help a driver, and his dashcam was recording as the officer had to use his Taser on a man who got out of an SUV and ran at the officer's car.
Jay Raulerson was responding to a suspicious person call after another driver came up to him and told him that a man was standing in U.S. Highway 101, waving and yelling at passing cars. Raulerson went to check it out and that's when he said a man cursed and lunged at him.
The Bradford County police chief said the 60-year-old man from Tallahassee who confronted Raulerson is now being treated for possible mental health issues.
The video shows that before Raulerson could get out of his cruiser, a man gets out of his SUV yelling and cursing. Within seconds, the man approaches Raulerson and the officer has to use his stun gun on the man, the high-electricity charge stopping the man in his tracks.
Lawtey Police Chief Shane Bennett said this is a situation he trains his officers to deal with and Raulerson handled it well.
"That was anything but a, 'Hi officer, I am having trouble today,' encounter. The individual was obviously aggressively approaching him. He was shouting, and it made the officer fear for his safety," Bennett said. "The police officer had literally seconds to decide what he was going to do with that situation and how he was going to react and what kind of force, if any, he was going to respond with."
Bennett said rescuers took the man to a hospital emergency room to get checked out, and then to a mental health facility. They believe he was dealing with paranoia and felt like someone was following him. That's why Chief Bennett decided not to charge him with a crime.
"The appropriate call here was mental health treatment," Bennett said.
News4Jax crime and safety expert Gil Smith watched the video and said he agrees with the way Raulerson responded.
"That is a dangerous situation. In this case he was justified in using his Taser because the guy was obviously angry. Now a police officer doesn't have to wait for someone to attack him before he stops them, he just has to feel as he is a threat," Smith said. "Jumping out of your car, pointing, yelling profanity and get very close to the officer can be perceived as a threat. In this case, I think the officer did the right thing."
Bennett said he's proud his officer did the right thing in a dicey situation.
"Lately, across the country, there have been lots of other encounters similar to this where the wrong decision was made. And, of course, if you make a mistake on one hand, it may cost the officer his life or lead to severe injury. If you make a mistake the other way, it may cost the citizen his. So you want to get it right," Bennett said.
Raulerson wasn't available to comment because he's out of town with his family. And the man whom confronted Raulerson, whom we're not naming because of the issues he may be suffering from, is being treated at a local mental health facility.