Black History day 28 - Faces of courage: The Courageous 12

Last edited Sun Apr 19, 2020, 10:09 AM - Edit history (1)

Faces of courage: The Courageous 12

http://theweeklychallenger.com/faces-of-courage-the-courageous-12/



BY FRANK DROUZAS, Staff Writer

ST. PETERSBURG –One Sunday morning while on patrol, Officer Leon Jackson of the St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) spotted a car barreling its way across Central Avenue, haphazardly swerving over the centerline, running red lights and even slamming against the curb.


Jackson flipped on his patrol car’s flashing lights and gave chase. The driver refused to stop, making Jackson pursue him all the way to the corner of Central and 66th Street, where the chase ended outside a strip mall.

As he stepped out of his cruiser and approached with caution, Jackson was aware that there wasn’t a soul stirring anywhere on the street—he was completely alone. So as to keep an advantage over whatever he was about to face from the driver’s side of the unknown car, Jackson stayed back and to the side, taking care not to walk up level to the window.

When Jackson came close enough to get a look inside, he observed a shiny object in the front seat by the driver. Shining his flashlight into the window, he saw it was a .357 magnum.
He kept his cool. He simply took his own gun out of the holster and instructed the man: “Don’t move. If you move, I’m going to shoot you.”


To reach Frank Drouzas, email fdrouzas@theweeklychallenger.com