Behind the Badge
A standoff between a hammer-wielding man and a Florida Bay County Sheriff’s deputy had an unusual ending when two cans of Bush’s extra brown sugar baked beans were used to stop the assailant.
The suspect, Justin Tyler Stanford, and Florida Bay County Sheriff’s Major Jimmy Stanford share the same last name but are not related.
Shortly after 25-year-old Justin Tyler Stanford destroyed his vehicle, he entered a Bay County grocery store, wielding a hammer.
Multiple officers were dispatched to the scene after false emergency calls were made on May 31 claiming the man was armed and holding hostages. One of the hostages was reported to have been shot; however, those claims turned out to be false.
After officers arrived, Justin Tyler Stanford exited the store while pointing a hammer at authorities as if it were a gun.
“We quickly realized that he wasn’t holding a gun but weren’t sure if he had a firearm on him,” Major Stanford told ABC News.
Three officers approached the store’s entrance, and the hammer-swinging man went back into the store.
Major Stanford was behind the suspect, hoping to obtain him from behind, while the man was swinging his hammer at Sheriff Tommy Ford and Chief Joel Heape.
When Justin Tyler Stanford spotted him, Major Stanford was standing next to a rack of canned beans.
“He saw me and then I saw the cans and it was almost like they were meant to be there,” Major Stanford said.
Major Stanford threw two cans of beans at the man, which hindered him for a second so the other officers could detain him without serious injury.
“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” Major Stanford said. “It seemed like the best thing to do in that moment.”
Officers took the man to a nearby hospital for his injuries. Justin Tyler Stanford is now facing charges of assault, assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest with violence.
