TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A man is in custody following a brief standoff Sunday afternoon outside a Leon County business.
According to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to reports of a theft in the 5300 Block of Capital Circle SW around 12:30 p.m.
Deputies were told the suspect stole from a vendor and showed a weapon. The suspect allegedly raised a hatchet toward the vendor when confronted. The suspect then left the scene.
Soon after, LCSO deputies found a man with the same description in a parking lot on the 5000 Block of Capital Circle SW. Witness video obtained by WCTV shows several law enforcement officers pointing weapons toward a man outside a Publix Grocery Store.
According to a press release, deputies commanded the suspect, 42-year-old John Rawls, to drop the weapon. Rawls eventually did so, but refused to move away from the weapon, according to deputies.
A deputy deployed his taser and after a “brief struggle,” the suspect was taken into custody and taken to the hospital for a check-up.
Rawls is charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, and Resisting Arrest.
More charges could be coming, according to LCSO. TPD was also on scene.
Copyright 2022 WCTV. All rights reserved.
