LITTLE ROCK — A man who tested positive for HIV spit blood in the face of a Little Rock Police Department officer who was trying to arrest him Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
Carl Jackson Jr., 41, is facing charges including exposing another person to HIV, aggravated assault and disorderly conduct after an incident in which he purportedly stripped naked, tried to use a metal pole as a weapon and spit blood at officers while screaming he was HIV positive.
Officer Jennifer K. Zarlingo wrote in a police report that Jackson spit blood in her face and eyes as she tried to subdue him. Zarlingo underwent multiple blood tests at Baptist Medical Center with results still pending, according to the report.
The incident started when a postal worker called police complaining that Jackson was throwing rocks at his truck from the front yard of 29 Rosemont Drive.
When officers arrived shortly before 5 p.m., Jackson was initially responsive before becoming agitated and "screaming and spitting in all directions," according to a report by Officer Vincent Lucio.
A short time later, Jackson purportedly stripped off his clothing and tried unsuccessfully to enter a nearby house.
Officers then hit him with a burst of pepper spray before he grabbed a broken metal pole and began swinging it while spitting, according to the reports.
Officer Zarlingo wrote that Jackson began bleeding from the mouth when he removed a piece of metal jewelry from his teeth.
"Jackson was instructed to stop spitting," Zarlingo wrote. "Jackson continued spitting and spat blood into my face and eyes."
Zarlingo hit Jackson with a second burst of pepper spray, but it had minimal effect, she wrote.
An officer later managed to handcuff Jackson while he was being distracted by other responders, the report said.
He was booked into jail after being treated at UAMS, where police say blood tests confirmed he is HIV-positive.