‘Good job, police’ - Judge commends cops who shot knife-wielding man

A team of police officers was applauded by a senior judge for their bravery after disarming a knife-wielding man outside Nelson Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, last month.

The tense encounter unfolded as Darean Hines, armed with a knife, defied the officers' repeated orders to drop the weapon, prompting them to discharge their firearms to subdue him.

Hines has since been charged with three counts of assault at common law.

"Nice, good job, police," Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell praised them in court on Tuesday.

The allegations, as outlined in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, are that Hines went into a phone store and stole a cell phone. The security guard of the store tried to apprehend Hines when he brandished a knife. The police were then contacted and Hines, still in possession of the knife, made advances towards the police, who had to discharge their weapons.

"Nobody goes into a phone store in the middle of the day and steals a phone, then approaches the police with a knife. Unless it's a suicide mission," the judge said.

A psychiatric evaluation was requested and Hines was remanded in custody until January 8, 2025.

Attorney-at-law Alexander Shaw is assisting with the case.