Man arrested for stabbing Phoenix officer claimed he was ‘Almighty God,’ court records say

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Phoenix police have made an arrest in connection to a stabbing that left one of their officers wounded. John Liddell Jr., 33, was arrested on Monday on multiple felony charges.

It happened early on Sunday at a QuikTrip at 17th Avenue and Bell Road in north Phoenix. The following is what unfolded as described in newly-released court documents:

Just after 1 a.m., a store security guard called police about a group of at least six men and women doing drugs on the west side of the store who were refusing to leave. When the officer arrived minutes later, all but one had left the property. The security guard told the officer he wanted the suspect, later identified as Liddell, removed from the store for trespassing.

The officer and security guard approached Liddell, who was standing by the store’s microwaves. The officer told him he had to leave. Liddell reportedly turned around and began walking toward the entrance as the officer asked for identification.

Liddell said he didn’t have ID and continued to walk away, but the officer said he still needed to speak with him and grabbed his left arm. That’s when Liddell pulled a knife from his waistband with his other hand, turned and stabbed the officer in the back of his neck, court documents said.

As the officer fell to the ground, the security guard grabbed Liddell and body-slammed him to the ground. During the struggle, documents say Liddell got back on his feet and tried to grab the security guard’s holstered gun.

The store manager then put Liddell in a headlock and continued and the struggle continued outside. The manager and security guard then held him down until additional officers arrived and took him into custody.

The officer had been stabbed near the base of his skull. A customer came to the officer’s aid, using a piece of clothing to apply pressure to the wound until help arrived and took him to a hospital.

Liddell was also taken to a hospital and released into police custody the next day. During an interview, he told detectives he was “Almighty God,” and that “the cop was messing with him for no reason.” He told investigators that “he does not play,” and that when the officer grabbed him, he “put the officer down.”

Documents say Liddell admitted to stabbing the officer and trying to take the security guard’s gun. He said that if he got the security guard’s gun, he would have left with it to make sure “nobody else thought they were wise enough to try to mess with God.”

Liddell was booked on numerous charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault on an officer and disorderly conduct with a weapon. Records show he also has prior felony convictions.

The officer is still in the hospital but should survive.

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