Moment cop is stabbed in neck by suspect who fled as police tried to take him to mental health facility
THE terrifying moment a police officer was stabbed in the neck by a suspect was caught on bodycamera on Sunday afternoon.
Nicholas Furgason, 21, was trying to run away from a Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputy in Lithia, Florida, as he was undergoing an involuntary mental health evaluation.
The sheriff’s office said in a news release that deputies responded to a home to help out with the evaluation and Furgason was initially cooperating with both the cops and workers of Gracepoint, a mental health facility.
Furgason soon learned he was going to be admitted to Gracepoint under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows anyone deemed to be a threat to themselves or others to be detained for 72 hours for psychiatric evaluation.
At that point, cops say Furgason fled on foot into the woods.
Hillsborough Deputy Charles Williams ran after him while another deputy chased after him in a patrol car.
Williams and Furgason both made contact in the woods, as seen in bodycam footage, and the deputy tried calming the 21-year-old down.
When Williams tried to detain him, Furgason seemingly pulled a knife on the cop and allegedly stabbed him in the beck.
The officer screams as he was attacked before screaming: “Hey! He stabbed me! He’s got a knife!”
Williams chases after Furgason while aiming his gun, but never shoots it. Instead, when he catches up to Furgason, he used a Taser on him.
At that point, both Williams and the other deputy detained Furgason.
“You OK?” the other deputy asks, to which Williams replies: “I don’t know.”
Williams refused help from the other responding officers as he encourages them to handcuff Furgason.
The sheriff’s office said the deputy applied gauze to his neck and was transported to the hospital before being released on Monday.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement: "This is a prime example of the dangers deputies face while trying to serve and protect our community every day.”
"Deputy Williams used an incredible amount of restraint after being stabbed in the neck by deploying less-lethal force on an individual who attempted to take his life.”
Furgason was hospitalized for a mental health evaluation before being cleared.
The 21-year-old was then booked into jail and hit with several charges, including attempted felony murder of a law enforcement officer and resisting a cop with violence.
Furgason is being held without bond.
According to the sheriff’s department, Furgason was also arrested in February 2019 for domestic battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting an officer.
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