TOMS RIVER – Police received a call that a man had pulled a handgun on the caller and they came out en masse to prevent a shooting. They would learn that the caller wanted to create a dangerous situation so that he would get killed by police.
The incident took place on November 29, early in the morning at 2:10 a.m. Almost a dozen officers responded to the area of James Street and Lewis Avenue on reports that a man had pulled a gun on another.
They spotted Zachary Brown, 26, of Toms River, who met the description that the caller made of the suspect. He was walking on James Street with his left hand in his jacket pocket. The police did not know at this time that it was Brown who had given police a description of himself.
Officers told Brown to remove his hand from his pocket, but he refused to do so. Brown indicated that he had a weapon on his person and that either “he was going to assault officers or officers were going to have to assault him.”
Brown made several motions toward officers, as if he was going to pull a gun out of his pocket, while officers tried to talk him down. He ultimately moved toward them and refused to stop when ordered.
Officer John Marsicano used a single cartridge from his taser to incapacitate Brown. He was treated by EMS on scene and taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for further treatment.
He was charged with Terroristic Threats, Obstruction of Justice, False Reports, and Resisting Arrest. Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law.
No weapon was recovered.
“There were eleven Toms River Police Officers, and a K-9 Officer, on the scene during Zachary Brown’s attempted Suicide by Cop. I would like to commend every one of them for their professionalism and conduct during a very intense situation. There were several different ways the night could have potentially ended, and we are grateful that everyone went home safe to their family at the end of their shift,” Chief Mitchell Little said.
