Ex-Daytona Beach Police Officer Shane Jackson testified at his trial on Thursday that he was attacked and didn’t know he had stabbed someone during an altercation two years ago outside the Flagler Tavern in New Smyrna Beach.
The 52-year-old Jackson was charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, a first-degree felony. He remains free on $35,000 bond.
If found guilty, Jackson could face up to 30 years in prison.
Jackson is accused of stabbing Jarrett Stadtler in March 2021, leaving him with an injury that would put him in the hospital for two weeks and then send him back to the hospital with an infection.
Jackson was fired after the incident by the Daytona Beach Police Department. The year before getting fired and charged with a crime, Jackson was in the news for a much more different reason. He broke his neck when he tripped and fell while running to help another officer during an officer-involved shooting in September 2020 in Holly Hill.
Jackson was at at Tayton O’Brians at 410 Flagler Ave. in New Smyrna Beach, on March 10, 2021. That’s also where Stadtler and some friends, including Taylor Morgan, now 24, and Eli Johnson, were celebrating Stadtler’s 24th birthday.
A security video played during the trial showed Jackson trying to talk to Morgan and touch her back. The video then shows Jackson walking closer to the woman.
Jackson said he was asking Morgan, whom he did not know, whether her friend was any good at singing.
But he denied dancing too close to her as Morgan had testified earlier in the trial. Jackson said he only getting closer to the stage.
Stadtler testified earlier he had moved in between Jackson and Morgan to keep the man away from her.
Jackson said Stadtler bumped into him once and then a second time harder. He said Stadtler then bumped into him a third time. Jackson said he went to ask him what was going on and they ended up struggling with each other.
Johnson, who was singing on stage, testified earlier he saw his friend Stadtler in the struggle, so he came off the stage and punched Jackson.
“I felt a sharp pain and that was it,” Jackson said about the punch.
Johnson said his group walked down the street and stopped in front of the Flagler Tavern at 414 Flagler Ave. One of their friend’s car was parked by the curb. They said they were talking about what happened as they walked to the car.
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Back at Tayton O’Brians, Jackson said his next recollection was waking up and walking outside on Flagler Avenue.
He said as he walked down Flagler Avenue he noticed a group smiling and looking awkwardly at him. He said they were jeering him.
Jackson said he asked them whether they knew who had attacked him.
Jackson testified that Stadtler and his group were becoming more agitated and he was in fear he would be attacked. He said Stadtler seemed the most reasonable person in the group so he went to ask him to calm his friends down.Jackson said he placed his hands on Stadtler to talk to him and Stadtler became aggressive. He said he grabbed on to Stadler’s shirt to keep his balance and to try and keep Stadtler away.
He said the group told him to leave and he said one of them threatened to beat him again.
“My perception was these are the guys who just brutally beat me and they are going to do it again,” Jackson said.
Jackson said he took his knife out because he felt threatened. But he said he kept it behind his leg because he thought showing the weapon might incite the group.
He said he believed police were responding to the incident at the first bar. Jackson said Morgan came toward him and threw a cup at him and he thought she had swung at him.
Jackson said he placed his hand on Stadtler and he spun around on him and attacked him.
He said he started feeling punches and the weight of more aggressors and he feared he would re-injure his broken neck which could lead to his death or leave him paralyzed.
Jackson testified he didn’t know that Stadtler had been stabbed.
He said he was trying to keep the knife away from Stadtler but he said he was falling backward and his arm came forward.
He said the bouncers who came out to break up the fight told him to leave. Jackson was later apprehended by some bouncers and civilians who pursued him after he left the Flagler Tavern.
During cross examination, Assistant State Attorney Sarah Thomas asked Jackson whether he agreed that he had stabbed Stadtler.
He said unintentionally.
Thomas asked Jackson if he had called 911 or asked anyone to call police. He replied he had not.
.Thomas asked Jackson that if he was trying to de-escalate a situation as a police officer would he hide his gun behind his back. Jackson said he put the knife behind his leg because he was still trying to decide what to do.
Thomas said Jackson testified the group was threatening him but he remained there and then he approached the group while still with the knife behind him.
“Then you stabbed him once in the stomach and then you tried to stab him again,” Thomas said.
“No,” Jackson replied.