Retox Josh

On Aug. 14, OCPD Officer Joseph Melena was on uniformed bike patrol in the area of 5th Street and Edgewater Ave. when he saw a white Chevy Impala parked diagonally on the street partially blocking traffic. The officer approached the vehicle and talked to the driver, later identified as McJilton, who told the officer he was parked there because he was waiting for somebody to move their car out of a nearby driveway.

The officer asked for McJilton?s license, but he said he didn?t have it on him. While questioning the suspect, the officer noticed a large bulge in McJilton?s front pants pocket. In the meantime, three other officers arrived to assist. While being questioned, McJilton became visibly nervous and it appeared to the officer he was trying to conceal his identity, according to police reports.

McJilton then rolled up the window and locked the car door before the officer could open it. He started the engine and revved it up while the officer shouted ?stop? several times. McJilton then put the car in reverse and accelerated very quickly, scattering the assisting officers who were standing behind it. According to the police report, if the officers hadn?t gotten out of the way, McJilton would have clearly hit them, causing serious injury and possibly death, according to police reports.

McJilton continued to floor the vehicle in reverse, striking a marked police car parked behind him.

McJilton then put the vehicle in drive and moved forward at a high rate of speed toward Melena, who scrambled to move his bike and get out of the way. The officer was able to get out of the way, but his police bicycle was not as lucky. In his report, Melena said as fast as McJilton was accelerating, if the vehicle had hit him, it would have caused serious bodily injury or even death.

McJilton rode over the police bike as he sped away and it got caught under the vehicle. Melena contacted OCPD communications to notify them of the situation as he chased the fleeing vehicle on foot. He could see his bike under the vehicle with sparks flying out as McJilton headed east on 7th Street.

Melena and the assisting officers tracked the vehicle to a parking lot on 7th Street where they found it with its lights still on but no suspect inside. A pedestrian witness pointed out the direction McJilton had fled and the officers continued the pursuit on foot. After a wild foot chase around several properties in the area, McJilton was eventually taken into custody.

Melena noticed the pocket he had questioned McJilton about was pulled inside out. A K-9 unit arrived on the scene and helped search the area around McJilton?s vehicle. Melena and the assisting unit found a large bag of marijuana, a large bag of cocaine and nearly $1,000 in currency, all consistent with drug dealing.

In addition, Melena?s police bicycle and his bag of police gear were completely destroyed in the incident. In addition to the one-year jail sentence, McJilton was ordered to pay $980 in restitution to the town of Ocean City.