The man who was shot by police in Holmdel yesterday has been charged with several violent crimes that took place leading up to his arrest, Monmouth County officials announced.
According to Monmouth County officials, Justin F. Chacon, 33, with addresses in Old Bridge and Brooklyn, is charged with three counts of first-degree Carjacking and single counts of third-degree Motor Vehicle Theft, third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and third-degree Resisting Arrest.
Officials said, shortly after 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26, members of the Holmdel Township Police Department responded to Bayshore Medical Center on a report of a commercial delivery vehicle being stolen out of the hospital parking lot by an adult male, later identified as Chacon.
According to Middletown Police, a short while later, officers responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision that had taken place in the area of Route 35 and Navesink River Road.
Police say, it was discovered that Chacon had crashed the stolen commercial delivery vehicle into the highway’s center median and then stole an SUV from a bystander who had pulled over and attempted to offer assistance.
Then, just before 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday, members of the Holmdel Township Police Department responded to the northbound lanes of Route 35 near the intersection with Centerville Road on a report of a second collision.
According to officials, it was later determined that Chacon had collided with a garbage truck, causing the stolen SUV he was driving to leave the roadway, striking a telephone pole, and burst into flames.
Officials say, after exiting the SUV while brandishing a pair of wire-cutting pliers, Chacon attempted to enter a pair of additional vehicles parked on the highway but was rebuffed by the drivers of each.
The responding officers found Chacon walking in traffic and ordered him to drop the weapon, but he disregarded the order and began advancing in their direction.
According to police, one of the officers then fired a round from his service weapon, striking Chacon.
After a prolonged physical struggle with the officers, Chacon was taken into custody. He was subsequently transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
Convictions on first-degree crimes are commonly punishable by 10 to 20 years in state prison.