On July 14, 2012 Officer James Bearden and his partner responded to a call to arrest a suspect wanted on aggravated assault charges. The officers made contact at a residence through a sunroom glass door, and after a brief conversation the suspect fled back into the house and opened fire with a .410-gauge Judge revolver. Officer Bearden was struck by two rounds, one in the face with the round lodging behind his jaw and another in the chest which was stopped by his ABA® XT01 Level IIIA armor. After officer Bearden returned fire, he and his partner secured the perimeter of the residence until the Palm Bay SWAT team was able to respond and take over the scene.
The suspect was eventually taken into custody by the SWAT team and Officer Bearden has recovered from his injuries. We welcome Officer James Bearden, SAVE #1875, to The Safariland Group SAVES CLUB®.
