Man found guilty of injuring 3 Cedar Park officers during 18-hour standoff in 2020

Man guilty in injuring Cedar Park officers in 2020

A man was found guilty of three counts after shooting and injuring three Cedar Park officers during a standoff in 2020.

CEDAR PARK, Texas - A man was found guilty of three counts after shooting and injuring three Cedar Park officers during a standoff in 2020.

What we know:

According to Cedar Park police, Joseph DeSean Taylor was found guilty on three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and two counts of aggravated kidnapping for his role in the August 16, 2020, shooting and standoff.

That day, law enforcement received a call from Taylor’s mother, who said he had kicked in the front door of the house and became aggressive. Once officers arrived, Taylor began shooting with over 50 rounds fired in the exchange.

Joseph DeSean Taylor

Dig deeper:

During the standoff, three Cedar Park police officers were injured, and there was an 18-hour hostage situation. Taylor barricaded himself inside the home with his mother and two siblings.

Taylor fired at officers during a call at a home on Natalie Cove in Cedar Park. He then barricaded himself inside the home with three family members. 

All three officers survived their injuries:

• Officer Jacqueline Quiles, a four-year veteran at the time, was struck in the rib-cage area. Her ballistic vest successfully stopped the round.
• Officer Nik Anderson, then an eight-year veteran, sustained a gunshot wound to the bicep requiring surgery and hospitalization.
• Officer Cris Hester, a 10-year veteran, whose head was grazed by a bullet, narrowly avoided a life-threatening injury.

During the trial, the defense argued that Taylor was legally insane at the time. After testimony and evidence, the judge rejected the claim, and found Taylor responsible for his actions during the standoff.

Also, court records showed Taylor was arrested in August 2019 for allegedly choking his brother and threatening his family, but those charges were dropped in March of that year due to lack of physical evidence and family cooperation.

What's next:

Taylor is in custody and will remain there as the case proceeds to sentencing.

What they're saying:

"Our officers put their lives on the line that day to protect the victims inside the home and the surrounding community," said Cedar Park Police Chief Mike Harmon. "Their courage, training, and professionalism prevented an already dangerous situation from becoming even more tragic. Today’s ruling delivers justice, not only for our officers, but for the victims and our entire community."