JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. -- A woman is in the hospital after a violent attack in her own home in Jacksonville Beach.
Police are releasing few details about what happened but say the actions of one neighbor turned a Christmas tragedy into a "Christmas miracle."
Red and blue flashing lights are not what you want to see on Christmas. But they were a welcome sight for many people in one Jacksonville Beach community worried that one of their beloved neighbors was in danger.
Action News spoke exclusively with the man who called police, concerned for his neighbor's life.
"So we decided yesterday, Christmas, to do a Christmas miracle and call the police and do a wellness check," said the concerned neighbor.
Police say this man's call for action helped save a woman's life. Police responded to a violent disturbance between a man and a woman at a home in the 1800 block of First Street South. Witnesses say the man greeted police at the door with a samurai sword.
"He just turned around, walked up the steps and said shoot me. So they shot him with a Taser and he went down like a stuffed pig, I mean he was screaming like a stuffed pig."
Police arrested the suspect and took him to a local hospital. As for the woman inside, medics flew her to Shands Jacksonville in life-threatening condition.
Friends of the woman say she and the suspect have lived together for years.
The concerned neighbor told reporter Ryan Smith that he became concerned for his neighbor when he didn't see her for several days in her garden, which is something she's become known for.
Police say the neighbor's Christmas spirit helped save the woman's life. But even with such high praise from police, he doesn't think of himself as a hero or want to be identified.
"I'm glad that she's alive and I hope she's going to be OK and I hope it sends a signal, just like everybody else helping the people in Connecticut, all across the nation, stand up for each other and do what's right."
Action News also spoke with the woman's family who said that she remains in critical but stable condition at the hospital.
The man police say is responsible for the woman's life-threatening injuries faces three charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and more charges could be filed.
