Police respond to officer-involved shooting in Sarasota
SARASOTA, Fla. - Police responded to an officer-involved shooting near US 41 and University Parkway in Sarasota, according to authorities.
"I got off the bus, and I was walking down 41 when I heard about four gunshots," said Arthur Mayhew.
A New College of Florida alert reported that there was a shooting near campus on Monday.
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According to the Sarasota Police Department, the shooting occurred around 7:50 a.m.
Law enforcement officers and crime scene tape at officer-involved shooting scene in Sarasota.
Authorities say an officer initiated a traffic stop on a subject's vehicle with a Sarasota County warrant.
While trying to arrest the subject, officials say there was an officer-involved shooting.
"In the process of trying to get that subject into custody, an officer-involved shooting occurred," said Cynthia McLaughlin with the Sarasota Police Department.
Law enforcement officers at scene of an officer-involved shooting in Sarasota.
All westbound lanes of University Parkway were closed from U.S. Highway 41 to Old Bradenton Road. Police say traffic near the airport was impacted for several hours.
SWAT team members focused their attention on a pond with a submerged Cadillac.
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Once the Cadillac was pulled from the water, more than a dozen gunshot holes in the windshield were marked with stickers.
There were more than a dozen bullet holes in the suspect's windshield.
The Sarasota Police Department and FDLE could not confirm the condition of the suspect, but the medical examiner was on the scene.
"We’ve got a lot of agencies working together. We want this investigation to be done right, quickly and so there’s a lot of channels that have to be approved in far as disseminating information," said McLaughlin.
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A white cat spotted inside the submerged vehicle survived the ordeal.
Aerial view of the suspect's car in a pond.
It’s unclear who owns the cat.
Authorities say FDLE is handling the investigation.
According to the Sarasota Police Department, several agencies helped on Monday, including the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, Sarasota County Fire Rescue, New College Police, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport Police, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
The law enforcement officers who were involved are on administrative leave, which is the policy for any officer-involved shooting, according to police.
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