The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred on State Road 200 in Marion County on Friday evening.
According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a Mitsubishi SUV in the area of Hernando. CCSO stated that the unidentified male driver of the SUV had a felony warrant, and he failed to stop his vehicle.
A pursuit of the SUV ensued, and CCSO deputies attempted to use spike strips to disable the vehicle’s tires. While the first attempt was unsuccessful, deputies were able to use another “tire deflation device” to slow the SUV, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver of the vehicle continued to flee, and Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies joined the pursuit on State Road 200. The MCSO deputies were able to stop the SUV with a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver, and the vehicle proceeded to crash into a power pole.
According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, the SUV’s driver exited the vehicle with a rifle in his hand, which posed an “immediate threat to the deputies and nearby citizens.” The CCSO deputies quickly drew their firearms and fired at the driver, striking him.
The suspect was transported to a local medical facility for treatment of injuries that were sustained during the incident. No further updates were provided regarding his condition.
“The suspect in this incident posed a significant threat to two communities today through his reckless actions. At the end of the day, the deputies on scene had only seconds to decide how to respond to protect every citizen in the area before the suspect decided to further endanger the lives of both law enforcement officers and civilians present,” stated CCSO Colonel Elena Vitt.
“This is yet another example of why having a great working relationship with all of our law enforcement partners is imperative. We joined forces and seamlessly protected those we swore an oath to serve,” added Vitt.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is actively investigating the shooting incident along with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.