Maricopa Police Department shared new details this morning about Tuesday’s robbery of an Amazon delivery driver in the Homestead neighborhood, providing a clearer picture of how police say the incident unfolded. 

Just before 6:30 p.m., several neighbors reported that Jerome Evans, 27, was asking to borrow their car. When they refused, the situation escalated. 

Shortly afterward, an Amazon delivery driver was out of his vehicle and delivering packages on Crane Drive when Evans allegedly jumped into the driver’s seat of his Saturn Vue, according to a probable cause statement obtained by InMaricopa. 

The delivery driver tried to pull Evans out of the car, but Evans reportedly punched him in the forehead, knocking him to the ground. Evans then accelerated and ran over the driver’s leg before stopping across the street and fleeing on foot.  

Police noted the delivery driver had “a noticeable bump” with red and purple bruising on his forehead, as well as abrasions on his face and knee. He told officers his leg was in pain and was transported as a precaution. 

A neighbor told police that Evans had jumped into their backyard. Officers found him there, “sweaty, out of breath,” and matching the suspect’s description, according to the report.  

During his arrest, Evans rambled incoherently, telling officers that “they” instructed him to steal the vehicle to “crossover.” While being escorted to a patrol car, Evans continued: “They told me that if I had a key or some coke to give the officers, then I could go home … Here’s coke – two baggies. Two baggies, bro. I get to go home,” according to the report.  

Police recovered one baggie of cocaine on the ground and found another in Evans’s pocket. The combined weight was about a quarter gram, according to the report. 

Evans was booked into the Pinal County jail on multiple charges, including robbery, aggravated assault, assault, disorderly conduct, possession of narcotics and first-degree trespassing. A person convicted on those charges would face a presumptive sentence of 22 years in prison. 

Court records show Evans, who is associated with his parents’ address in Phoenix, has a lengthy criminal history. In 2016, he was sentenced to three years in prison for robbery. Most recently, Evans pleaded guilty to urinating in public in Scottsdale City Court on July 17. 

Several other cases associated with his name have sealed charges.