M.A.F., a 19-year-old resident of Evanston Lane in Palm Coast with a record of mental health issues, was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of battery on law enforcement officers after apparently experiencing a mental episode at his home Tuesday night.
According to his arrest report, M.A.F. started “manically taking things from around the house and throwing them,” then tried to lock members of his family out of the house as he continued to rampage through the house before a family member tackled him as M.A.F. was swinging an electric guitar around in an assaultive manner.
The confrontation escalated, involving others, as M.A.F. got hold of a kitchen knife and pepper spray and made death threats to his family members before running through others’ backyards, entering a home’s lanai and causing property damage there and banging on a glass door with a shovel in an attempt to gain entry inside. “I am not here to hurt you,” the residents there reported him saying, when they described the scene to sheriff’s deputies.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene, their presence and yells immediately stopping him from using the shovel against the door. They ordered him to get on the ground. As he continued to walk in the yard, telling a deputy to shoot him, a deputy fired a Taser dart, which missed, but got M.A.F.’s attention. He raised his hands, followed directions and deputies took control.
He was not exactly cooperative. “Let me up now. Kill me. Shoot me,” he told them angrily, saying something about a lawyer as deputies took him to an ambulance.
They put a surgical mask on him as he attempted to spit on deputies, which is considered assault under the law. Using his exposed nose, he allegedly “forcibly fired mucus” at a sergeant and a commander, striking them in the arm and chest.
M.A.F. “did not have any obvious injuries but due making several statements of ingesting narcotics, his erratic behavior, and several suicidal statements,” his arrest report states, “he was transported to AdventHealth Hospital by Flagler County Fire Rescue #92 where he was evaluated and released.” He was then booked at the Flagler County jail.
“Outstanding work by our deputies in deescalating this tense situation,” Sheriff Rick Staly was quoted as saying in a release. “They followed their training and managed to get him in to custody quickly without any citizens being hurt.” He said it was an example of what deputies have to deal with when trying to arrest an individual who may be attempting to hurt them or others.
M.A.F.’s court record relating to mental health issues is sealed, but his family was attempting to have him Baker Acted.
JAFO says
And yet another as to how advent health Flagler is a problem. I regret to say that I was arrested for a DUI several years ago and I have a pre existing health issue. I told them about it at the jail and had seizures for approximately 1 hours before deputies found
Me unresponsive. I was transported to advent health and by the deputies request “please get him out ASAP as I am about to get off shift” what a joke Flagler?!
Buffalo Bert says
I wonder what would happen id there was 3 different calls for ARMED SUSPECT at one time in Palm Coast ?
July1 is almost here. I bet by August there will be 29 shootings in Palm Coast. “PERMITLESS CARRY”
The WILD WEST is about to start again ……….
nomorepitbulls says
I feel really bad for the family. As someone who has experienced a family member with mental illness…it is SO stressful. You are on eggshells every day because you never know when the next episode is….and they NEVER seem to want to stay on medication.
Lisa Says says
I know for a fact that this is going on all over the country! The question is not guilt or innocence, the act occurred, it’s where to go from here. We have have failed this child, not last year, years ago and he is not the only one. Educational Administrators across our nation have been sweeping this issue under the rug for decades. We have schools for the blind, schools for the deaf, but nothing for children who obviously need long term professional help to learn to cope with controversy and situational changes in an effect manner, rather than resorting to overt aggression. We have been allowing our public employees and or children to be in the company of those who, as has proven here, to have great potential to be uncontrollably violent. When educators, the public, and parents turn a blind eye to these children no good will come to them in the end. At every level or “Departments of Education” has failed these children nation wide, by failing to address this issue. As a nation spend millions of dollars every year on irrational things and frivolous things, but we don’t address the elephant in the room. When will we protect them? All of them.
Ann says
The best thing a family can do for their loved one with a mental illness is to demand monthly injections of needed medication. Families need to know that mental illness is treatable. If they have to get help through rehabilitation so be it. Insurance covers most treatment.