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Man dead after shooting at several law enforcement agencies
Regina Gonzalez reports
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - A 37-year-old man with a lengthy criminal past is dead after shooting at several law enforcement agencies and leading them on a multi-county car chase Saturday morning.
"What we are about to describe sounds like a movie plot of some big blockbuster action movie," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said as he opened a press conference. "The sad reality is that everything we’re about to tell you is true, and several communities were victimized by this bad guy."
It all started with a domestic violence situation between the man and his wife in Hernando County around 1:45 Saturday morning.
The wife got in her car and headed to her parent's house in Wesley Chapel to be with the child they shared.
"She notifies Pasco Sheriff's Office, Pasco County dispatch, that she's at the house," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco explained. "But very shortly, as she's on the phone call, the dispatcher starts hearing screaming. They start hearing shots fired. Pasco deputies are getting there as fast as they can."
Once deputies arrived, the man immediately began shooting at them.
Hillsbrough County Sheriff's Office
At some point during those harrowing moments, he also shot his wife on the property before managing to escape in a car, leading deputies on a violent pursuit.
His wife was rushed to a nearby hospital and is expected to be okay.
"The pursuit starts. He shoots at deputies, highway patrol, the city of Tampa, and the Hillsborough County sheriff's office throughout this entire pursuit, "Sheriff Chronister added. "We have multiple crime scenes and are still trying to determine where others are."
Perhaps the biggest crime scene was the retention pond in a Hidden River business complex that the man crashed his car into. But the chaos didn't stop there.
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For four minutes, the shooter engaged in a gunfight with law enforcement officers, but a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper, two Pasco County deputies, and a Hillsborough County deputy managed to fire back at the criminal, according to Sheriff Chronister.
Courtesy: Hillsbrough County Sheriff's Office
He said the man fled again behind a nearby building, but when deputies followed, they found him on the ground, injured from the shooting.
First responders then took him to Tampa General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Sheriff Nocco commended the communication and teamwork between the agencies and said, thankfully, no officers or deputies were injured and were all able to go home to their families.
"If you're a criminal in Tampa Bay, know that it doesn't matter what agency you are, it doesn't matter what counties you cross, it doesn't matter what boundaries you're in. We're law enforcement. We're all in this together. We're all in this together with our citizens, and if you shoot at one of us, we're gonna fire back," Nocco said.
The man was found to have an extensive criminal history, including 18 felony convictions and four years served in a Florida prison.
His name is not being released until his family is notified of his death.