KEENE, Texas — An officer with the Keene Police Department was on patrol at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, when he saw a man carrying what appeared to be an ax near the police station parking lot.

At about the same time, a communications dispatcher inside the station heard a loud noise.

Officers David Hernandez and Julitza Abrantes, who were also on patrol, then saw the man striking parked police cars with the ax, shattering windows and leaving the ax embedded in a windshield. 

The officers were able to subdue the suspect, who was listening to music with his earbuds, without incident, by speaking with him. 

Keene Interim Police Chief Don Beeson identified the suspect as Jeassy Bobby Cruz, 31, of Keene.

Cruz was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, $2,500 to $30,000, and is being held at the Johnson County Jail.

Beeson said the incident was the third time police have made contact with Cruz in the past 10 days.

“On our first encounter with him he had thrown a rock through someone’s windshield,” he said. “And then the second time he had gone into a local restaurant, ordered a taco salad and four hamburgers, ate them and left without paying for them. We believe he may be off medication for some type of mental illness, but we can’t be too sure just yet.” 

Cruz was issued citations for those incidents.

Beeson said he wants people to be aware that attacks against police officers happen all over, not just big cities.

“We don’t know what his intentions were, if he was coming here to attack an officer or not,” he said. “Fortunately there were no officers in the parking lot at the time.”

The Keene Police Department is continuing the investigation and additional charges may be filed.

Pounds writes for the Cleburne, Texas Times-Review.