Lakewood Man Charged After Attacking Officers With Knife: Police

LAKEWOOD, NJ —A Lakewood man has been charged with attempted murder following a Saturday night standoff that began with him attacking two police officers with a smooth-edged knife, Lakewood police said Sunday.

Stanley J. Williams, 25, was arrested and is being held at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River pending a detention hearing, Lakewood Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said.

Lakewood Police Officers Joseph Rusk and Matthew McAvoy were injured when they were investigating a report of a man and woman arguing at a home on Lisa Robyn Circle, Staffordsmith said. As they were trying to find the people who were arguing, they were flagged down by a woman who told them she and a friend were talking when her son, Williams, came into the living room and started acting erratically, he said.

Rusk and McAvoy went to the woman's home and, joined by Lakewood Officer Seehausen, went to the third floor where Williams was in his bedroom. The officers identified themselves as they knocked on the door, asking to him come out, Staffordsmith said.

Williams flung the door open and began hitting McAvoy and Rusk in the face and head with what appeared to be a knife, Staffordsmith said, causing significant cuts, and continued to come toward them as they stood in the stairway. At that point the officers left the house; they were taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus and needed stitches, he said.

Meanwhile, more police arrived, including the Lakewood Police Department Special Response Team and Sgt. Peter Aakjer, the department's crisis negotiator. Aakjer spoke with Williams and tried to convince him to surrender, but despite what was described as an intense and extensive conversation, Williams refused, Staffordsmith said.

About 2:30 a.m. officers with the Lakewood Special Response Team and the Ocean County SWAT went into the house and found Williams sitting on the stairs armed with what appeared to be a handgun, he said. Williams ran to his room and there were renewed efforts to try to get him to surrender, but he still refused, Staffordsmith said.

Once the tactical teams were in a safe position, Lt. Robert Shimonovich deployed pepper spray rounds through the third-floor bedroom window, and Williams came out of the room, unarmed, and he was arrested, Staffordsmith said.

After Williams was arrested, police found a 12-inch smooth-edged knife that was used to hit Rusk and McAvoy, as well as the firearm, which was determined to be a realistic-looking pellet gun, Staffordsmith said.

Williams was charged with two counts of attempted murder on the police officers, aggravated assault on a police officer, possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Staffordsmith said.

Staffordsmith said the Lakewood Police Department thanked the Lakewood Emergency Medical Services, the staff at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, and the members of Chaverim who assisted at the scene Sunday night.

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