Man arrested after attacking officer with meat cleaver at police station

A Burlington man was charged with aggravated assault on Tuesday after he allegedly attacked an off-duty police sergeant with a meat cleaver inside the Burlington Police Station.
By Michael Cusanelli, Anna Guber
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BURLINGTON, Vermont (WPTZ) — A Burlington man was charged with aggravated assault on Tuesday after he allegedly attacked an off-duty police sergeant with a meat cleaver inside the Burlington Police Station.
Officials said 34-year-old Eric Jones was in the lobby of the Uniform Services Bureau on Tuesday just after 5:30 a.m. when an off-duty sergeant wearing plain clothes arrived for his shift.
When the sergeant entered the lobby, he said he saw Jones raise a meat cleaver and point it toward him. The sergeant was able to take the meat cleaver from Jones following a struggle, at which point Jones allegedly pulled out a kitchen knife and attempted to stab the sergeant in the stomach.
The sergeant could remove both weapons and throw them outside the lobby and into the parking lot during a struggle. He left the lobby and left Jones trapped inside when he called for backup from uniformed officers.
Jones was arrested and cited on the charge. While the sergeant was not physically injured in the attack, Chief Jon Murad said this incident highlights the need for increased security measures at the BPD station.
“This is an incredibly, alarming, frightening, terrible incident. It happened in our facility in a place where, you know, employees are frankly sort of expecting to feel safe and secure,” Murad said. “It was by the grace of a lack of aggression and of a well-trained capable sergeant that there was no harm or physical harm that came from this.”
Murad said the station has already begun enhancing the employee entrance with new safety features.
“We have to have a facility that is secure and is safe and not just for our police employees, for the very many employees here who are not trained in the same way this sergeant was.
Police said Jones has a criminal history that includes two misdemeanor charges, one assault charge and one assault on an officer charge.
The Burlington Police Officers’ Association also responded to the incident, and said, in part, that “No one, including police officers, should be fearful of assault, injury and potentially death merely coming and going from their place of employment.”
In their statement, BPOA added that this is not the first time this type of incident has taken place at the BPD station and said a similar incident occurred in 2023 when an officer in regular clothes was assaulted in the parking lot leading to the employee entrance.
BPOA called on Burlington city leaders to “address this urgent safety-deficiency and make moves to better secure the Burlington Police Department, especially the uniformed services entrance, to mitigate events like these from continuing to unfold.”
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