Each Traffic Stop Holds Potential Harm
When you have someone who does not respect the system that is designed to protect the citizens in Orlando, then they are subject to the consequences. On Tuesday, 23 year old, Demetrius Patterson was denied bond after shooting an Orlando police officer in the abdomen after being pulled over for reckless driving in the Washington Shores area.
Officer Jason Hajek was working the graveyard shift as he typically does, when he pulled over the vehicle with Patterson and another passenger. Patterson opened fire on Officer Hajek, shooting him in the abdomen. Hajek returned with a shot that hit the defendant’s foot, and as he was calling for back-up as the vehicle took off. Patterson was found and arrested at his cousin’s house, which was near the shooting location.
Any shift that a police officer is out in the public is potentially dangerous. Fortunately, Officer Hajek escaped serious injury that night from the shot in the abdomen. Patterson used a 44-caliber pistol, which sent the bullet between the slight gap in the officer’s vest and his gun belt. The bullet was removed at ORMC, and Hajek is now resting comfortably.
Background on the Defendant
After running a background check on Demetrius Paterson, Orlando Police Department were not surprised to discover that he is career criminal, even at the young age of 23. Patterson is now charged with first degree murder on a law enforcement officer along with a weapon’s charge. He will await his trial in jail because he refused public defense and is without bond.
This is the culmination of a long list of altercations between Patterson and Orlando PD. His criminal record includes misdemeanors and felonies since he was 9 years old.
Patrolling the Streets of Orlando
Officer Hajek is one of the hundreds of officers who patrol the streets of Orlando while most of the city sleeps. On the patrol for just a few years, Officer Hajek is active in the Orlando PD, and one of the unsung heroes that stand in harm’s way between the average citizen and the criminal.
