A judge set bond at $1 million after prosecutors filed charges including assault with intent to murder and carjacking.
KALAMAZOO, MI — A 28-year-old man was charged Monday with assault with intent to murder and several other felonies after authorities said a Kalamazoo County sheriff’s deputy was shot during a struggle and his patrol vehicle was stolen.
Jaylen David-Jedidiah Lipsey was arraigned July 20 and ordered held on a $1 million bond. Prosecutors also charged him with carjacking, disarming a police officer, resisting and obstructing an officer causing serious injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, fleeing police and multiple counts of using a firearm during a felony.
The charges are allegations, and Lipsey has not been convicted. District Judge Becket J. Jones said during the arraignment that the seriousness of the alleged offenses and Lipsey’s criminal history supported the bond amount. Lipsey could face life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge.
According to probable cause documents described by News Channel 3, Deputy Kaleb Mortimer responded shortly before 9 a.m. Friday to a reported theft from a vehicle at Richland Auto on East AB Avenue. Authorities said Mortimer encountered Lipsey jogging along the road and ordered him to stop.
Investigators alleged that Lipsey initially ignored the deputy but later got on the ground as Mortimer tried to place him in handcuffs. A struggle followed, and authorities said Lipsey reached for the deputy’s gun. The weapon discharged during the struggle, striking Mortimer in the thigh, according to the court documents.
Investigators further alleged that Lipsey pointed the gun toward Mortimer’s head and attempted to fire again, but the weapon malfunctioned. Authorities said Lipsey then threw down the gun, entered Mortimer’s marked patrol cruiser and drove away.
The stolen cruiser was pursued through parts of Kalamazoo, Barry and Allegan counties. Court documents said the vehicle reached speeds of up to 125 mph as the driver failed to stop for officers using emergency lights and sirens and at times traveled partly off the road.
The pursuit ended on Lake Street near Julianna’s Restaurant after another deputy used a patrol vehicle to strike the stolen cruiser, forcing it into a civilian van, authorities said. Two people inside the van were treated for injuries. Several law enforcement vehicles were also damaged during the pursuit and its aftermath.
Police said Lipsey did not immediately follow commands to leave the stolen cruiser after the crash. Officers removed him from the vehicle and took him into custody. He was later being held at the Calhoun County jail.
Lipsey’s relatives told News Channel 3 that the allegations did not match his character and called for authorities to release body-camera video of the encounter. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office had not announced the public release of that footage as of Monday.
Mortimer underwent extensive surgery from Friday evening into Saturday morning, the sheriff’s office said. He had been released from the hospital and was recovering at home Monday afternoon. Lipsey is scheduled for a probable cause hearing July 28.
Author note: Last updated July 20, 2026.