Man Arrested After Threatening Off-Duty Officer With Knife in Wal-Mart Parking Lot

A Brick man was arrested Feb. 13 after police say he threatened an off-duty Lavallette police officer with a knife in the parking lot of the Brick Wal-Mart store.

Anthony Azevedo, 26, of Sawmill Road, was arrested after a confrontation with the officer and his wife in the parking lot, according to Brick Police Capt. John Rein. After Azevedo nearly hit the couple while backing out of a parking space, Rein said, the officer tried to speak with him, at which point he got out of his vehicle and brandished a 3-to-4 inch folding blade. Police say he threatened the couple with the blade before fleeing the scene.

The Lavallette officer, whose name was not divulged in a release by Brick police, called police and reported the license plate of the vehicle in which the suspect fled the scene. Patrolman Vincent Pacitti spotted the vehicle travelling northbound on Lanes Mill Road, heading towards Sawmill Road, and Sgt. Arthur Rivaldo and Ptl. Raymond LaPoint located and stopped the vehicle on Sawmill Road shortly thereafter.

Azevedo was taken into custody without incident during the traffic stop, Rein said.  A 23 year old female passenger, who was in the vehicle at the time of the incident and arrest, but found not to be involved, was released.

Azevedo was charged with one count each of making terroristic threats, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Azevedo was transported to the Ocean County Jail, Toms River, in lieu of $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option, set by Brick Municipal Court Judge Report LePore.