Atlantic Beach police officer honored for saving life of officer who was attacked

3 years ago 206

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Atlantic Beach Police Officer Dustin Joiner connected Wednesday received the Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer grant for his relation successful redeeming the beingness of chap serviceman Tim Stafford after helium was brutally attacked extracurricular a edifice past year.

Stafford was beaten successful July of 2020 aft responding to a telephone successful beforehand of the Panera Bread connected Atlantic Boulevard adjacent Penman Road. Stafford had to person facial reconstructive country and is inactive recovering from his injuries.

MORE | Atlantic Beach constabulary main writes missive connected officer-involved shooting

Joiner changeable fishy Jaden Perkins, who’s awaiting proceedings for attempted execution of a constabulary officer.

“I wanted to go a constabulary serviceman to marque a quality successful the assemblage and to bash the occupation that I’ve ever wanted to bash since I was a small kid,” Joiner said.

Joiner credits his constabulary grooming for uncovering that delicate equilibrium that helped prevention the officer’s life. He was the archetypal to get connected country erstwhile helium saw Stafford being beaten unconscious.

Investigators said Joiner stopped the man, helped adjacent citizens to safety, helped Stafford connected the crushed and directed arriving officers to assistance the suspect.

Stafford recorded a connection for the antheral helium calls a hero.

“Thank you Dustin. May God bless you,” helium says successful the message.

After the attack, neighbors from Atlantic Beach, a close-knit, tiny formation town, showed their Atlantic Beach officers however overmuch they admit what they do.

“Completely humbling. It’s an honor,” Joiner said astatine the ceremony. “I look astatine it arsenic doing my occupation each azygous day, and to beryllium acknowledged for what we do, it means a lot.”

The assemblage rallied astir the Atlantic Beach constabulary and a GoFundMe account that was acceptable up raised much than $20,000.

There were galore different astonishing stories, similar retired Jacksonville serviceman Nolan Kea, who 2 years agone saved a 5-year-old miss astatine Hanna Park. The conveyance she was traveling successful flipped implicit and was astir un-seeable nether water.

Pastor Garland Scott was 1 of the citizens amazed with an grant for his enactment helping alteration the lives of radical that constabulary person labeled convulsive offenders.