Around 2:45 a.m. on July 20, 2026, District 3 patrol officers and the JSO Canine Unit responded to the Greenfield Manor neighborhood after reports that two individuals were actively burglarizing vehicles. A homeowner also reported the suspects were armed with handguns.

When officers arrived, they witnessed Knight and another juvenile breaking into a vehicle. In the body-worn camera footage a car alarm can be heard before officers make contact.

Officers identified themselves as law enforcement and repeatedly ordered both suspects to stop. Instead, both ran away while armed with handguns.
 
As officers pursued Knight through a dark residential neighborhood, they continued giving loud verbal commands to stop. Knight ignored those commands.
 
Officers had probable cause to arrest Knight for multiple vehicle burglaries and reasonably believed he was armed. They observed both suspects clutching their waistbands while running, behavior consistent with carrying a firearm, and the area provided numerous places to hide or ambush pursuing officers.
 
Considering the suspects' continued flight, the darkness, and the potential danger to officers and the community due to the armed fleeing suspects, the Police Service Dog or PSD was deployed as the safest and most effective way to apprehend Knight.
 
The PSD successfully stopped Knight by biting him. During the apprehension, Knight dropped the handgun he had been carrying.
 
While on the ground, Knight, who was wearing a mask and gloves, reached toward his waistband. Believing he could be reaching for a weapon, the officer delivered distraction strikes while repeatedly ordering Knight to place his hands behind his back so he could be safely handcuffed. The PSD’s handler then disengaged the police service dog from Knight.
 
Investigators later confirmed the handgun had been reported stolen. Officers also found a window-breaking tool commonly used to burglarize vehicles in Knight’s pocket.
 
Additional officers arrested the second juvenile, 15-year-old Thomas Cuyler, after a brief foot pursuit.  Cuyler, like Knight, was also wearing a mask and gloves and apprehended with a gun. 
 
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue responded and evaluated Knight at the scene before transporting him to the hospital. After being medically cleared, he was taken to the Police Memorial Building, where he was interviewed and subsequently arrested.
 
Knight was charged with nine counts of Armed Burglary, first-degree felonies, and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Minor, a third-degree felony.
 
Following a detention hearing, a judge ordered Knight be held in secure detention.
 
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office conducted a comprehensive administrative review for the officers’ conduct pertaining to this investigation and found no policy violations.

Since this arrest, misinformation has spread online. Contrary to claims circulating on social media, this was not a jaywalking incident.
 
The facts are straightforward. Officers responded to suspects actively committing vehicle burglaries while armed. Knight fled from law enforcement, ignored repeated commands to stop, was armed with a stolen handgun, reached toward his waistband during the arrest, and was safely taken into custody.
  
The public is encouraged to watch the body-worn camera footage, consider the full context, and rely on verified facts rather than incomplete or misleading social media posts.

Watch the incident briefing on JSO's YouTube Channel or Instagram.

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