Suspect Charged After Altercation With Tuscaloosa Police

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A man has been charged with attempted murder and other offenses following a confrontation with police on Monday morning that resulted in a Tuscaloosa Police officer's weapon being discharged.

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Captain Jack Kennedy, commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, told local media Monday evening that officers with the Tuscaloosa Police Department first made contact with 44-year-old Cedric Leon Tinker around 10:45 a.m. in the 3600 block of Stillman Boulevard.

Kennedy said TPD had responded to multiple calls over the past few days regarding Tinker, whose family reported he was experiencing mental health issues.

He went on to say that after gathering information from Tinker’s family and social workers, police called in a Mental Health Officer for evaluation. However, following discussions with Tinker’s family and social workers, the decision was made to transport him to a hospital for mental health evaluation.

Before he could be transported, though, Tinker refused and Kennedy said the man became aggressive.

Kennedy then said that during the struggle to take him into custody, Tinker assaulted several officers and threatened them, even managing to remove a firearm from one officer’s holster.

"As they struggled to restrain Tinker on the ground, Tinker removed one officer's weapon and took control of it," he said. "During the struggle, the firearm was discharged one time but did not strike anyone. Multiple officers were eventually able to retrieve the weapon and take Tinker into custody."

In addition to multiple witnesses, Kennedy said the entire incident was captured on body-worn cameras.

The initial investigation resulted in Tinker being charged with attempted murder, disarming a law enforcement officer and second-degree assault.

Tinker was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail without bond.

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