A 41-year-old man is facing an attempted murder charge after Hillsborough County deputies say he threatened to kill his family, kicked an officer, and lunged at deputies with a knife during a call to a home on Clay Pit Road on Thursday. Jarrett Brooks was taken into custody and placed under the Baker Act following the confrontation, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the home in the 11000 block of Clay Pit Road at 10:18 a.m. Thursday, according to FOX 13 News. Deputies say Brooks threatened to kill his family members or himself, prompting the response.
Confrontation Escalates Inside the Bedroom
Once inside, deputies say Brooks refused to cooperate with them in a bedroom and then threatened to kill the deputies themselves. Per the sheriff's office account, Brooks kicked a deputy in the chest and attempted to kick a Taser out of another deputy's hands before grabbing a knife from next to his bed.
According to law enforcement, Brooks then lunged at deputies with the knife pointed toward them. Reporting by the Tampa Free Press indicates deputies deployed Tasers at that point, causing Brooks to eventually drop the knife inside his bedroom before he was restrained and taken into custody.
Charges Carry Life-Sentence Exposure
Brooks faces a charge of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, along with two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, resisting an officer with violence, and resisting an officer without violence, the station's report states. Under Florida Statute 782.065, attempted murder committed against a law enforcement officer performing lawful duty carries enhanced penalties that can include mandatory life imprisonment without eligibility for release, according to Leppard Law.
The battery counts also carry significant weight on their own. Florida Statute 784.07 elevates battery against a law enforcement officer from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine per count, per Flaherty & Merrifield. Separately, resisting an officer with violence is classified under Florida Statute 843.01 as its own third-degree felony, carrying up to five years in state prison and up to $5,000 in fines, according to the Sammis Law Firm's breakdown of the statute.
Baker Act Hold Follows Arrest
After his arrest, deputies transported Brooks to Orient Road Jail. Brooks was placed under Baker Act provisions.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the deputies handled what he described as an extremely violent subject with a very violent past. The sheriff's office says Brooks has a criminal history dating back to 2013 that includes second-degree murder and DUI charges, though the disposition of that earlier murder charge was not detailed in the department's account.
How Hillsborough Deputies Train for Crisis Calls
The sheriff's office has a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training program, in which NAMI Hillsborough participates, that teaches verbal de-escalation and crisis management techniques.
The sheriff's office also operates a dedicated Behavioral Resources Unit that pairs deputies with licensed clinical social workers and mental health counselors to handle high-utilizer crisis calls and try to prevent violent encounters before they start.
