Crime & Public Safety
Deputies use Taser to detain sword-wielding burglary suspect in Alachua County
Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies deployed a Taser to detain a man armed with a sword during a reported residential burglary on Northwest 91st Street near the Santa Fe Trace Apartments in Gainesville. Body-camera video released with the report shows deputies confronting the armed suspect and attempting nonlethal options before using the Taser.
According to the agency, deputies responded early after a 911 caller reported a man forcing his way into a home while holding a sword and ordering the resident outside against their will. When deputies located the suspect with the sword in hand, they attempted verbal commands to get him to drop the blade and fired a foam projectile, which did not bring compliance.
After the foam round failed to disarm the man, deputies deployed a Taser and were able to take the suspect into custody. Investigators say the suspect and the resident did not know each other. The Sheriff's Office identified the person taken into custody as Josiah Smith, 26.
Smith faces charges listed by the agency as armed burglary, aggravated assault with a weapon, armed kidnapping, and resisting an officer. Those alleged charges reflect the agency’s statements; I have not added information about injuries, court outcomes, or motive beyond what the agency reported. The Sheriff's Office is the documenting agency for the incident and released the body-camera footage referenced in the report.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.