Shots fired at West Melbourne police officer during traffic stop; arrest made in case

7 a.m. Dec. 13 update:

Police arrested Joseph Alan Bellinger, 27, of Palm Bay on Tuesday night. According to a post on the West Melbourne Police Department's Facebook page: "West Melbourne Police Detectives have been working around the clock since this incident occurred. After conducting multiple interviews, executing search warrants, and examining physical evidence, detectives developed probable cause for the arrest of Joseph Alan Bellinger." Click here for the full story.

Original story posted Dec. 12:

West Melbourne Police are looking for a person of interest in connection with an attempted traffic stop that ended with someone firing shots at an officer. Already a 31-year-old woman who detectives wanted to talk with is cooperating with officers.   

“They are boyfriend and girlfriend. We don’t know for sure but we believe that he was the driver. There was only one person in the car,” said Capt. Richard Cordeau of the West Melbourne Police Department. 

Detectives have identified vehicle owner Amanda Michelle Peacock, 31, and her boyfriend, Joseph Alan Bellinger, 27, as the people of interest in the case. Peacock contacted authorities today about the case. 

The police officer, identified Joseph Jones, an 18-year veteran of the force, was not injured during the incident.

“This was not a normal response to a speeding violation,” Cordeau said of the shooting. 

Brevard County law enforcement agents remain on the alert after a motorist fired nearly a dozen shots at a West Melbourne officer attempting to make a traffic stop late Monday.

The officer, who has worked with the West Melbourne Police Department for nearly two decades, was not injured.

The driver sped away and later abandoned a white Nissan Altima in a neighborhood off Lemon Grove Avenue. 

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The officer spotted the Altima about 9:30 p.m. speeding along Sheridan Road, Cordeau added. The officer then turned on his emergency lights to signal the driver to pull over.

“The driver then fired multiple shots at the officer,” Cordeau said. Moments later the officer attempted to get tag information when the second volley of shots erupted from the white vehicle. “The officer was not injured and his vehicle was not struck. The officer was not able to return fire,” Cordeau said.

The vehicle sped west on Sylvan Road. The driver then ditched the car along Lemon Grove and fled the area. Investigators are pursuing several leads in the case. Police located the car a short time later in the 400 block of Lemon Grove Avenue. Home surveillance video shows a male figure running from the vehicle, which was left abandoned in the middle of the road. There appear to be bullet holes on the exterior of the vehicle, but detectives believe the driver caused the damage.

Police are also asking neighbors in the area to review any surveillance footage that may have recorded the incident. 

A search by law enforcement did not yield any arrests.

“They say there’s no such thing as a routine traffic stop,” Cordeau said. “Fortunately, our officers are trained to react to whatever circumstances they come across. This was not a regular event.”

Detectives ask anyone with information on Bellinger's whereabouts to call West Melbourne police at 321-723-9673 or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.

Contact Gallop at 321-242-3642

or jdgallop@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @JDGallop