A Lake Wales police officer remains hospitalized after a suspect, who is not a U.S. citizen and was on probation for violently resisting arrest last year, violently attacked him during a traffic stop Monday, the department said.
About 10:03 p.m. Monday, Officer Colt Black stopped Marcelino Jimenez-Cruz, 41, of Lake Wales, in the area of State Road 60 and 12th Street. Jimenez-Cruz was riding a bicycle without a headlight.
Black told the suspect to stay, but after a while Jimenez-Cruz fled on his bicycle. Black followed in his patrol car and was able to cut him off Orange Grove Shopping Center, where the suspect ran into the car, police said.
Black used his stun gun on the suspect, but it was ineffective. Jimenez-Cruz then charged at Black, hitting him on the head and neck and knocking him to the ground, police said.
The suspect then grabbed Black's radio and hit him with it, and also grabbed the officer's collapsible baton, police said.
Backup officers arrived and were able to get Jimenez-Cruz off of Black, but the suspect continued to struggle as he was taken into custody.
Black was transported to the Lake Wales Medical Center, then transferred to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with injuries to his head, arm and leg. He is in stable condition but remains at Lakeland Regional Medical Center.
Jimenez-Cruz was taken to Lake Wales Medical Center, where he was treated and released.
He has been charged with attempted second-degree murder of an officer, aggravated battery on an officer, two counts of depriving an officer of means of communication/weapon, two counts of criminal mischief, violation of probation, two counts of resisting an officer without violence and resisting an officer with violence.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer was requested because Jimenez-Cruz is not a citizen.
He has an arrest record in the U.S. dating back to 2010. He was most recently arrested in April 2017 on two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, kidnapping and false imprisonment, among other charges.
Information from the Lakeland Ledger was used in this report.
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