Man arrested following altercation with police

Published 8:00 am Friday, July 13, 2012

A crowd of approximately 80 people watched as a handcuffed man brawled with undercover detectives Thursday afternoon in front of a business in the 1400 block of North Troup Street.

At least 10 Valdosta police cars, four undercover units, two H.E.A.T. cars and a South Georgia Medical Center ambulance responded to the scene.

The incident began inside of the business at about 4 p.m. Thursday.

Two undercover detectives arrived at the business hoping to serve an arrest warrant on a man. Inside, the detectives said they smelled marijuana smoke. The two detectives asked the business’ owners for permission to search the building for the source of the smoke, said Valdosta Police Lt. Aaron Kirk. However, not everyone in the building consented to a pat-down.

One man reportedly threw a sudden punch at each of the two detectives, according to the detectives. Kirk said the business’s two owners corroborated the detective’s allegation of the man’s outburst.

Deshon Jones, 37, was detained a short while later, but witnesses outside of the building said the officers’ response to Jones’ punches was excessive. Some witnesses recorded a smartphone-video of the tussle outside, which displayed a handcuffed Jones being hit and wrestled into submission by the two detectives. Jones, 37, was arrested and charged with two counts of felony obstruction, Kirk said. Jones was taken to the Lowndes County Jail.

Police did not locate the person named in their initial warrant.

For more on this story and other local news, subscribe to The Valdosta Daily Times e-Edition, or our print edition.