photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

A Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured June 28, 2022.

A man was arrested Thursday morning after a violent attack on pedestrians on Massachusetts Street was caught on video camera.

Police released video showing a man crossing the street and attacking pedestrians around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1000 block of Massachusetts Street. In the video, two people are walking on the sidewalk when the suspect approaches them and, without warning, begins striking them with his fists. He then leaves the area.

Police were called around 9:40 Wednesday and found a man and a woman with head injuries “following an encounter with a 34 year old suspect,” the Lawrence Police Department said in a news release.

Police spent the night searching for the man, whom they identified as “homeless” in the release. Then just before 8 a.m. Thursday, officers were called to 12th and Pennsylvania streets, in East Lawrence, about a man armed with a knife who matched the description of the suspect. Officers arrested Deonte Darrell Jackson in a nearby backyard and took him to the Douglas County Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of two counts of aggravated battery, criminal damage and disorderly conduct.

“Our department is outraged by this event,” Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart said in the release. “As an agency and a city, we cannot tolerate this type of behavior.”

After concerns about downtown were raised last fall, Lockhart directed officers to conduct foot patrols, and “in light of last night’s event is committed to increasing efforts to keep our downtown safe and secure,” the release said.

video by: Courtesy of Lawrence Police Department