City Manager Helps Stop Alleged Attack On Elderly Woman (Video)

SARASOTA, FL — Sarasota City Manager Tom Barwin hasn’t worn a badge since the 1980s, but that didn’t stop his old cop instincts from kicking in on Thursday. The city’s top administrator and two construction workers, in fact, are getting the credit for subduing a shirtless man accused of trying to rob an elderly woman outside St. Martha Catholic Church.

The incident that reignited Barwin’s cop senses began to unfold around 12:30 p.m. July 13. Barwin was taking a lunchtime bicycle ride near Orange Avenue and Second Street when he spotted a shirtless man walking down the middle of Second Avenue toward oncoming traffic, the city explained in an email to media.

Get the Sarasota Patch newsletter and alerts in your inbox.

Screaming at the top of his lungs and pounding his fists on passing vehicles, the man caught Barwin’s attention, the city's email said. As at least one driver pulled over to call law enforcement about the disruption, Barwin also called police while watching as the man made his way toward the church.

As the man approached the church, the city said an elderly woman walked out. The shirtless man followed her around the corner and into the church’s courtyard. When loud shouting was heard, Barwin “jumped off his bicycle, ran into the courtyard and tried to detain the suspect by stepping in front of him and calmly talking to him,” the city’s email said.

The shirtless man attempted to leave just as two “Good Samaritan construction workers arrived, having heard" the uproar. Together the three men subdued the accused attacker until Sarasota Police made their way to the scene.

Jason Perez, 28, of Sarasota was ultimately brought into custody on an attempted robbery charge. He was also charged with battery on a victim over 65 years of age, the city reported.

Barwin reported Friday that no one was seriously hurt in the scuffle and that Perez was unarmed. Barwin has served as a public administrator for more than 30 years. September marks his fifth anniversary as Sarasota’s city manager. Back in the 1980s, Barwin was a police officer in Warren, Michigan.

As for the training he received for his original career in law enforcement, Barwin said it all came back to him Thursday.

“We just worked together to do the right thing and get this guy off the street,” Barwin said in a Friday statement. He also thanked the two construction workers, who have not been identified, for rushing in to help.

As for the incident itself, Barwin said it serves as a reminder of the need for treatment programs to address substance abuse and mental health problems in Sarasota and elsewhere.

“I travel the country quite a bit and it’s becoming more common to see delusional individuals wandering the streets in cities big and small,” Barwin said. “It’s a real problem which needs to be addressed with appropriate funding. I continue to call upon everyone and anyone to partner to address the very real and challenging problem.”

It is unclear if Thursday’s incident was related to either problem.

Perez remained in the Sarasota County Jail on Friday without bond, jail records indicate.

A video of part of the incident has been released by the city. It can be viewed below:

Keep up with what’s happening by following Sarasota Patch on Facebook.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Jail