FLORIDA DEPUTY STRUCK BY CAR
Phillip Lamar Body charged with aggravated assault on law enforcement officer
Phillip Lamar Body, 21, of Jasper, was arrested and charged with several felony and misdemeanor charges after hitting a law enforcement officer with a car, according to a report from the Jasper Police Department.
Officer Tammy Williams and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Griffin responded to a call about a fight at the Club Chevy in Jasper about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25, according to the report. As they were trying to clear the parking lot, Williams saw Body, who reportedly appeared to be intoxicated, come out of the club.
A few minutes later, Williams saw an older model Chevrolet car back into another vehicle, the report states. As the driver of the car began to leave the parking lot, Williams and Griffin tried to stop him. Williams identified the driver as Body before he sped up, according to the report.
Body’s car struck Griffin, who rolled over the hood, according to the report. Williams began to pursue Body at a high rate of speed in her patrol car. Body ran several stop signs and was unable to maintain a single lane, the report states. He then stopped in the parking lot of City Hall.
As Body got out of the car, Williams saw him grab the waistband of his pants. She thought he had a gun, so she accelerated her patrol car towards him to keep him from shooting at her, according to the report. Body ran away and Williams pursued him in her patrol car.
When Body fell, Williams saw a gun slide out of his hand, the report states. Body then tried to find the gun and began running again. Williams thought Body had recovered the gun, so she pulled next to him in her patrol car and shot him with a Tazer, according to the report.
Williams still thought Body had a gun and when he refused her orders to show his hands she shot him with the Tazer again, the report states. When Body showed his hands, Williams tried to handcuff him but he resisted. After Body was transported to the Hamilton County Jail, he refused an alcohol breath test and refused to talk to Williams, according to the report. A loaded gun was found where Body fell.
Body was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and aggravated fleeing and eluding, both felony charges, the report states. He was also charged with several misdemeanors, including resisting arrest without violence, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed firearm, reckless driving, driving while license suspended knowingly and driving under the influence, according to the report. As of Wednesday, Nov. 28, Body was still being held on a $70,000 bond, according to a spokesperson at the Hamilton County Jail. Griffin was not injured in the incident.