Broward man who owes the county $13,500 accused of firing a gun at a fire rescue truck
Court documents describe Jermaine Shennett’s history of hurling things — knives, stones, bricks, saliva — at people who displease him. Lauderhill police say surveillance video says Shennett advanced to shooting at a Lauderhill Fire Rescue truck on Friday.
Shennett, 41, sits in Broward County Main Jail after Monday night’s arrest on one count of aggravated assault on an emergency care provider. Broward County jail records say Shennett’s bond has been set at $100,000.
The arrest affidavit says around 4:20 p.m. Friday, Lauderhill Fire Rescue Engine No. 30 left Station No. 110, 3120 NW 12th Pl., to answer a call at Cypress Grove Apartments, 4200 NW 19th St. As Engine No. 30 raced up Northwest 19th Street, the driver said he saw a man in his 30s or 40s, standing 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 with short hair and dark clothing point a gun at the truck and fire six to seven times. One of the bullets hit the radiator.
The two passengers heard the shots, the affidavit says, but didn’t see the shooter. Five 9mm casings were found at 3128 NW 19th St., the affidavit says, and video stills in the affidavit from the Lauderhill Point Apartments surveillance camera show a bald man with a similar beard to the 5-foot-8 Shennett on a bike. Other stills that aren’t timestamped show the same man pointing a gun at the fire rescue truck.
Shennett still owes Broward County $13,503 in fines and court costs from his crimes and traffic tickets since 2000. He’s done three prison stints for burglary, robbery, grand theft, obstructing a criminal investigation and cocaine possession, but his most recent acts chronicled by Broward County online court records seem to demonstrate why he’s been prosecuted in both mental health felony court and as a career criminal.
▪ May 23, 2018: The day Shennett has a domestic violence temporary restraining order served against him he violated it almost as soon as the serving officer left. The restraining order would remain in place for two years.
▪ Oct. 20, 2018: Shennett is caught on video trespassing, scaling the 7-foot wall of Lauderhill Fire Rescue Station No. 110’s parking lot.
▪ Dec. 28, 2018: Shennett threw a brick and hit the door of a Waste Management truck. An arrest report says Sennett was angry that the driver blew his horn early in the morning to tell Sennett his garbage can wasn’t in the right place. This counts as a felony, throwing a deadly missile at a vehicle.
▪ Sept. 4, 2019: Shennett threw a large stone at a car in what police thought was a random attack. This also counted as throwing a deadly missile at a vehicle.
▪ Sept. 5, 2019: Shennett spit in the face of a Broward Sheriff’s Office corrections officer — battery on a law enforcement officer and battery of a facility employee.
▪ May 1, 2020: Shennett climbed through the front window of a home, threatened to kill one of the people inside and threw a knife at the person. Shennett missed, but was convicted of burglary.
This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 5:18 PM.
