Arrest Of Man Shooting Near Deputy Leads To More Arrests, Clearing 40 Burglaries

October 2, 2009

The arrest of a man early Wednesday morning after he fired a gun near an Escambia County deputy’s marked cruiser has led the Pensacola Police Department to solve about 40 vehicle burglaries.

suspects.jpgDeputy Rudy Brown, who works in the Century Precinct, was on his way to work about 6 a.m. Wednesday when Joshua Lee Brown, 25, fired a handgun four times from his vehicle as he passed the deputy’s cruiser. Deputy Brown, who is no relationship to the suspect, gave pursuit and arrested Joshua Brown on charges of discharging a firearm from a moving vehicle and theft of a firearm.

The firearm was listed as stolen by Pensacola Police. After suspect Brown was questioned, he provided information that led to the arrest of two Pensacola men who are now facing a slew of charges in connection with scores of vehicle burglaries that have occurred in Pensacola since July.

Kevin Wayne Smith, 20, of West Highway 98, and Joshua Brandon Smith, 19, of East DeSoto Street, are both charged with five counts of vehicle burglary and four counts of grand theft of firearms. Additional charges are pending on both men, who are not related, said Pensacola Police Sgt. Chuck Mallett.

Since July 23, approximately 40 vehicle burglaries have been reported to Pensacola Police in the Scenic Heights, Cordova Park and East Pensacola Heights areas. The burglaries occurred primarily in the evening to early morning hours with entry being made to unlocked vehicles or by tampering with vehicle locks, Mallett said.

Among the items that were taken were four handguns, GPS units, cell phones, digital cameras, money, portable DVD players, prescription medications, jewelry, Ipods, and MP3 players. Some of the items have already been returned to their owners, and detectives were trying to identify owners of remaining items, Mallett said.

In addition to the charges from Wednesday morning’s incident, Joshua Lee Brown was charged by Pensacola Police with strong-armed robbery and one count of vehicle burglary.

Jonathan Tyler Broxson, 19, of Durango Drive, Pensacola, was charged with strong-armed robbery and criminal mischief to a police cruiser. Jessica Lynn Broxson, 23, of East Kingsfield Road, Pensacola, was charged with strong-armed robbery and one count of vehicle burglary. She is Joshua Brown’s girlfriend and Jonathan’s sister.  Jessica Broxson was in the vehicle with Joshua Brown at the time he fired the shots near the deputy’s cruiser, according to the ESCO.

The strong-armed robbery occurred just after midnight September 29 when Jonathan and Jessica Broxson and Joshua Brown approached a 71-year-old woman in the parking lot of Ninth Avenue Bingo at Ninth Avenue and Langley Avenue.

The three suspects said they had a dead battery in their vehicle and asked if she could help. The woman pulled her car around to help them jump start their vehicle, and while they were talking, she said she’d won a large amount of money playing bingo. When the woman left, the suspects followed her home. As she was getting out of her car, Jonathan Broxson leaned in, pinned her against the back of the seat, grabbed her purse, and the three suspects fled the scene.

Anyone whose vehicle may have been burglarized in the aforementioned areas and time period is asked to contact Detective James Hendry at (850) 435-1977 or Detective Jon Thacker at (850) 435-1975.

To read the original NorthEscambia.com story about Wednesday morning’s shots-fired incident, click here.

Comments

14 Responses to “Arrest Of Man Shooting Near Deputy Leads To More Arrests, Clearing 40 Burglaries”

  1. jonathan on January 27th, 2011 11:07 am

    well to let everyone know this is jonathan broxson, i am responsible for some of the things done in this report, but to let you all know i am doing very well i have been off drugs for 16 months, i have got a high school diploma and i am inrolled in college. i will say that i was a problemed child and was on drugs real bad but if any of you people knew the things i have been through you would do what it takes to feed yourself and your family. I am not proud of the things i have done but i am thankful for retards like josh who tell on everyone because i got accepted into a drug program (path way for change) and it has changed my life.

  2. redneck123 on October 5th, 2009 10:48 am

    Good Job.Thanks to the POLICE DEPT!

  3. Steve on October 5th, 2009 12:12 am

    That’s gotta be a classic! You just can’t make this stuff up… firing a weapon from a car as you pass a marked cruiser… that oughta do the trick! Sheesh.

    Some guys have all the luck. Rudy is probably still chuckling over this one.

  4. A HoT MeSS!! on October 4th, 2009 9:01 am

    i agree JJ. This is how the PD keeps their paychecks comin. Slap on the wrist and let them out with probation so they can mess up once again and to start the process all over. Its a win win situation. They are free and the police are kept busy throughout their shifts..

  5. David Huie Green on October 3rd, 2009 5:31 pm

    this is good, they’ve been caught and a number of crimes solved.

    now to give them all probation and let them back to their lives of crime

  6. interested reader on October 2nd, 2009 3:43 pm

    I am not surprised to see this update. No honor among thieves, as Joshua promptly ratted on his friends. Hopefully, this will NOT lead to a lighter sentence for him. Someone could have been seriously hurt in the robberies so everyone was lucky that only property and money was taken.

  7. thank you on October 2nd, 2009 10:51 am

    I know several people who were robbed. I am so thankful that they were idiots and got themselved caught.
    Also, thank you for just an indepth story. I have started to get most of my local news from you, and I wish you could cover more of the south escambia and santa rosa. We really need a good news source down there. Keep up the good work!

  8. an observer on October 2nd, 2009 10:49 am

    that’s real bright to tell ANYONE that you don’t know that you just won a large amount of money……and just think they may have never been caught if that stupid boy hadn’t of fired that gun (as he passes a deputy car)…i mean, DID HE WANT TO GET CAUGHT OR WHHHHHAT????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  9. NN on October 2nd, 2009 10:45 am

    Randy, I don’t know how serious you were about the cane, but that’s the best laugh I have had all week. I tend to agree! :)

  10. bama54 on October 2nd, 2009 10:03 am

    How do you become like these young people? When I was a kid growing up, the whole neighborhood had rights to my butt. We as parents need to get a grip/handle on raising our children and teach them how to become responsible adults. It should not be all about the “ME” attitude the young people have these days. I suggest they all have harsh punishments; maybe a little basic training (military style) would do them a world of good. At least a little jail time!!!

  11. Stuart on October 2nd, 2009 9:50 am

    Isn’t it funny when idiots like these get themselves caught!

    I just wish the Justice Dept would put them away for a while.

  12. Oak Grove Bud on October 2nd, 2009 6:06 am

    It would be nice if the right victim caught these punks in the act of their stealing and robbing and served them some good vigilante justice. But then again, if a victim got caught doing this, they would be put in jail. The judicial system seems to be more likely to protect this kind of trash than the victims. They will be back on the streets and in our neighborhoods, probably within 48 hours.

  13. Randy D on October 2nd, 2009 6:00 am

    I bet if they gave them three licks with the cane they would find another profession.

  14. JJ on October 2nd, 2009 4:44 am

    Dang thugs. I withdraw my previous statement of with-holding judgement. He’s an idiot AND a criminal. Good job getting these morons off the street… (although they’ll have to get busted about another 3 or 4 times before anything happens to them…)