UPDATE:

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson police announced the man accused of pointing a gun at an officer in a patrol car has been arrested.

Police said Steven Perry, Jr., 24, was arrested just before 6:00 p.m. on April 2 while a search warrant was being executed in the 5000 block of Baxter Drive.

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JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson police are searching for the suspect who pointed a gun at an officer in a patrol car. The image of the incident was shared on social media.

Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said the incident occurred at the intersection of Robinson Road and Highway 80 on Tuesday, April 1. He said the suspect’s gun had a Glock switch, which is illegal. No shots were fired during the incident.

“I guess God was in the passenger seat of that vehicle, because the individual didn’t fire on him. And apparently, he (the officer) didn’t see him for whatever reason, because he would have fired upon him. So, we avoided a catastrophic situation,” Wade said.

He said investigators have developed a person of interest in the case.

“We will be investigating this as a terroristic threat. This will not be prosecuted as no simple misdemeanor pointing and aiming. We will be looking for a state prosecution, and we will also be speaking to our federal partners. We will not allow individuals to point guns at law enforcement,” he said.

The police chief encouraged other law enforcement agencies in the Jackson area to be on alert after the picture was shared on Instagram. Wade said many Jackson police officers were disturbed by the photograph. He said this was not the first time something like this has occurred, and there could be additional arrests.

“We are going to stay steadfast on this. We’re going to stay locked-in, and we’re going to be very resilient until we bring this coward, coward, coward to justice. You will not point guns at law enforcement here in the City of Jackson. And also, you will not have a cheering section cheering you on as you point guns at law enforcement,” the police chief said.

Wade also called for filters on social media that would prevent violent images from being shown.

“It looks like there’s some type of way that this stuff should be flagged and not posted on social media. There should be something in place that people are not allowed to post violence on law enforcement or violence on anybody,” he said.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the Jackson Police Department (JPD) at 601-960-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477).