Highly decorated police veteran involved in shooting

Fernandina Beach Police Department

Press Release

James T. Hurley, Chief

April 30, 2015 4:41 p.m.

Officer Jason Smith, a nine year veteran of the Fernandina Beach Police Department has been identified by the department as the officer involved in the police pursuit and shooting of a Brunswick, GA man on Monday morning.

Officer Smith, twice recognized as the Police Officer of the Year by the Fernandina Beach Police Department, and three times commended by Mothers Against Drunk Driver’s (MADD), began pursuing Randy Scott Lingelbach as he fled the scene of an armed robbery at the island Walmart store on South 14th Street at about 10:45 AM. As evidenced by the officer’s in-car video, Lingelbach demonstrated reckless abandon as he drove his black Dodge Ram truck off the roadway several times, through parking lots and across occupied sidewalks, fishtailing out of control at high rates of speed, before blasting through construction barricades on Bonnieview Road, eventually attempting to ram responding officers.

Randy Scott Lingelbach (L); Laura Rebecca Harden (R)

Lingelbach remains in critical condition at UF Health in Jacksonville. His passenger, Laura Rebecca Harden, was released on Monday after medical treatment at Baptist Nassau and after being questioned by agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). She was apparently arrested last night in Glynn County, GA and is charged with felony drug possession.

The video from several Walmart store cameras show the confrontation with the suspect in the parking lot and was released to the media yesterday.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is continuing to work the investigation as an independent law enforcement agency, at our request and through an established Mutual Aid Agreement. Officer Smith has given a statement to investigators and will return to work on Friday. His training and personnel files are available for review upon request.