The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office shared Friday that a deputy was able to de-escalate a situation in which a suspect was armed with a knife and a hammer on April 4.
A social media post from the department said deputies were dispatched to a Wal-Mart store on Atlanta Hwy. in response to a burglary just after 1 a.m. The department had received reports that a suspect, identified as Devon Evans, 33, had broken into the store and stolen an X-box by smashing a glass case.
A deputy patrolling the area had seen a man matching the suspect’s description walking down Atlanta Hwy. with the weapons and the X-box. The deputy had stopped and engaged in conversation with the man, who told the officer he was “going to have to kill him tonight,” according to the post. Body camera footage released from the department showed the deputy continuing to speak with the man until backup could arrive.
Once other deputies arrived on the scene, Evans was taken into custody.
The footage from the department showed the deputy that initiated the stop spoke to Evans once he was in custody prior to being transported to the Forsyth County Jail. During the conversation, the Deputy expressed relief that the situation did not escalate, to which Evan’s responded, “Someday, somewhere, I'll appreciate you not having to shoot me."
In response to the situation, FCSO reminded citizens who may be struggling with their mental health of resources available to them.
“If you or someone you know feels like there's nowhere to turn, contact the Georgia Crisis Line at, 988,” the social media post said. “There's always another option.”
