A Pine Bluff man was arrested and booked into the Jefferson County jail after, police said, he pointed a gun at a Pine Bluff police officer before she got out of her patrol car on Thursday morning.
Samuel Wilson Jr., 47, faces charges of aggravated assault upon a certified law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by certain persons, according to a news release from Pine Bluff Police Sgt. Richard Wegner.
Officers responded just before 11 a.m. Thursday to the 600 block of West 20th Avenue, about 2 1/2 miles north of the U.S. 63 Business exit off Interstate 530. Wegner said a caller told the patrol officer that “a man had been in his yard acting strangely,” and the caller gave an idea of where and how the suspect traveled.
Wilson was found “a short distance away” in clothing that matched the caller’s description. Wegner said that the officer could see Wilson holding a pistol. When the officer started to make contact, Wilson pointed the weapon toward her before she could get out of the car, Wegner said. The officer was not hurt.
“Mr. Wilson then fled the area on foot,” Wegner wrote. “After he was out of sight, a single gunshot was heard. Officers of the Pine Bluff Police Department and Jefferson County sheriff’s office responded to the area and conducted a search. Mr. Wilson was quickly located and taken into custody. At this time, no gun has been recovered.”
It was not clear how many squad cars from the Pine Bluff Police Department and sheriff’s office responded to the scene.
Police have not established a motive, adding that Wilson was not able to be interviewed because he was under the influence. Wegner said that Wilson is expected to make an initial appearance in court “within the next day or two.”