POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A domestic violence call escalated rapidly in an Auburndale suburb today when a fleeing suspect used a massive commercial truck to strike a responding law enforcement vehicle, triggering a deputy-involved shooting.
The incident unfolded in the Sun Acres neighborhood on Fowler Avenue. According to officials, a Polk County Sheriff’s Sergeant was responding in emergency mode to an active domestic violence situation. As the Sergeant arrived, the suspect attempted to flee the scene in a large International truck.
Investigators state the suspect drove the heavy truck directly into the Sergeant’s vehicle in a head-on collision. In response to the crash, the Sergeant fired his weapon through the windshield of the truck to stop the oncoming threat.
The gunfire grazed the suspect’s ear. Following the shooting, the suspect abandoned the truck and fled into the surrounding neighborhood on foot. A perimeter was quickly established, and tracking units located the suspect a few blocks away.
“Our Sergeant was responding in emergency mode to a domestic violence in progress,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said from the scene. “Our suspect in this huge International truck was fleeing the scene and rammed our deputy head-on. As a result. Our sergeant fired into Detroit to protect himself and to stop the threat. The suspect was grazed on the year. Then, he jumped out of the truck and ran through the community. Responding deputies. Captured him. A street or two over?”
The 10th Judicial Circuit Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force has taken over the primary investigation into the shooting, which is standard procedure for encounters of this nature.
The suspect was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. Officials confirm his injuries are minor, and he is expected to be treated and released into police custody today.
Sheriff Judd confirmed the suspect will face multiple criminal charges upon his release from the hospital, stating, “He’s in custody being treated at a local hospital, and then he’ll come to jail later today, charged appropriately.”
READ: Routine Traffic Stop Lands Texas Fugitive Behind Bars In Florida
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