By Stephanie Allen and Elyssa Cherney
Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO — Demetrius Patterson sat silent Friday morning with his arms crossed as Circuit Court Judge Renee Roche sentenced the 25-year-old to life in prison for attacking an Orlando police officer.
Patterson was convicted last month of shooting Orlando police Officer Jason Hajek during a foot chase July 23, 2013.
Hajek — wearing jeans and a collared green T-shirt — shifted in his seat, taking weight off his right hip while listening to the sentence. One of the shots hit Hajek in his abdomen and exited through his right hip. The single shot nearly took Hajek’s life and ended the rookie officer’s career.
State Attorney Jeff Ashton said the injury prevents Hajek from being able to carry the necessary law-enforcement gear. He is working on an early retirement.
“He’s sort of a little bit in limbo right now kind of waiting to see what the Police Department does, but he’s got his life, and I think that’s the main thing he’s concerned about,” Ashton said.
Hajek initially flagged down Patterson because of reckless driving, court records state. The encounter escalated when Patterson ran and pulled a gun. Ashton said that was “all over him not getting a ticket.”
“As far as Jason was concerned, that’s what he was doing. He was going to give him a ticket,” Ashton said. “And instead he’s going to prison for life.”
Hajek first saw Patterson’s black Infiniti about 3 a.m. July 23, 2013, weaving between lanes on Millenia Boulevard. The car was traveling nearly 80 mph and ran a red light, Hajek said during testimony. He attempted to follow but lost sight of the car for a bit as it sped into the Washington Shores area of Orlando.
Hajek eventually caught up and found the car parked in a driveway. As Hajek approached, Patterson and a passenger ran.
Hajek said he deployed his stun gun toward Patterson, but it didn’t stop him. That’s when Patterson fired at least three shots, hitting and knocking Hajek to the ground. The then-24-year-old officer started shooting, firing about 12 times over his shoulder.
A bullet hit Patterson in the foot, but he managed to hobble to a nearby home, where he barricaded himself for several hours before surrendering. Patterson kept his head down Friday morning and limped as a bailiff escorted him from the courtroom.
Ashton asked the judge to look at Patterson’s criminal history, including a recent two-year stint in prison, when considering his sentence. Roche said Patterson met prison re-offender conditions and sentenced him to the maximum of life in prison.
Ashton said Patterson’s history is most likely what led him to flee.
“He was trying to get away,” Ashton said. “He had only been out of prison for about 10 months, and he didn’t want to go back, and he was willing to take the officer’s life in order to prevent it.”
Copyright 2015 The Orlando Sentinel