PALM BAY, Fla. – Palm Bay police said 44-year-old Shawn Jackson tried hiding in the woods Tuesday night after hitting his girlfriend and pointing a gun at her, but authorities closed in on the ground and in the air to make a successful arrest.
"I think I can still see the heat where he was laying if y'all need to look for that item," said an official in audio that can be heard from inside a Brevard County Sheriff's Office helicopter.
Palm Bay police said two rifles were recovered during Jackson's arrest behind his Galty Circle home.
Police said one rifle was in the woods and one was inside the house and both guns were determined to be stolen from the Blue Diamond Pawn Shop two years ago.
The pawn shop on Palm Bay Road is two miles away and during Hurricane Irma in September 2017, police said a group of burglars stole 36 guns from the store.
On Wednesday, following Jackson's arrest, the pawn shop owner said the two guns police found are the first of the guns accounted for since the break-in.
Jackson had a first appearance Wednesday in front of a judge on charges of battery domestic violence, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of firearm by a convicted felon.
Police did not confirm if Jackson was one of the burglars or if the guns got in his hands at a later date.
Since the 2017 burglary, the pawn shop's owner said he's spent $3,000 on additional security.
A judge at the Brevard County Jail assigned Jackson a $45,000 bail.