ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A judge denied bond for a man who was shot by an Orange County deputy after allegedly stealing from a Walmart and declaring martial law.
Investigators say that on Feb. 22, 48-year-old Jason Beal, wearing a mask, declared “martial law,” and left the store on East Colonial Drive with a cart full of merchandise.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were called after the store’s loss prevention officer reported the alleged shoplifting and said that they saw what appeared to be a knife on Beal, who they also heard make claims about a gun.
[WATCH: Walmart shoplifting suspect shot by Orange County deputy declared ‘martial law,’ sheriff says]
Deputies found Beal just outside the store and used a taser on him after they claimed he failed to respond to repeated commands to stop.
“Shortly after that, our deputy can be heard saying, ‘Don’t reach, don’t reach, you reached three times.’ And then our deputy fires his service weapon at the suspect, striking him several times,” Sheriff John Mina said after the shooting.
Mina said two knives were recovered from the scene. Beal was charged with robbery with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer with violence. The state asked that he be held without bond, noting an extensive criminal history prosecutors say includes burglary, arson, and sexual battery.
“That no conditions of release or bail will reasonably protect the community from the risk of physical harm or ensure the presence of the defendant at trial,” Assistant State Attorney Andrew Hathcox said.
Beal’s attorney, Stephanie Fritzshall, argued he was not actively threatening people inside the store and therefore is not a danger to the community, and that the situation escalated after the loss-prevention officer reported Beal had a gun.
[WATCH: Deputy shoots masked shoplifting suspect outside Orange County Walmart, officials say]
“That misbelief ultimately led the police to handle this case differently, which led to my client being shot in this situation, your honor,” she told the judge.
Judge Cherish Adams granted the state’s request to deny bond, saying the defendant’s behavior and weapons raised concerns about the potential for greater violence.
“He was armed with multiple weapons and displaying that behavior that was significant enough to concern law enforcement that he was not simply just robbing the store but that he may be a mass shooter, obviously he was not,” Adams said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said it will conduct its own review after the state investigation is complete.