Armed murder suspect who held girlfriend hostage in Wimauma shed killed by SWAT member, sheriff says
WIMAUMA, Fla. - A single shot killed a murder suspect, who was barricaded inside a shed in Wimauma while holding his girlfriend hostage. Hillsborough deputies responded to the property after the suspect called his friend to help his "dispose of some trash." It turned out the trash was a human body, the sheriff says.
The 9.5-hour stand-off took place in a busy strip of State Road 674, forcing the roadway to be shut down Wednesday morning. During a press conference, Sheriff Chad Chronister identified the suspect as 42-year-old Juan Sarmiento.
When Sarmiento's friend arrived and noticed the body in the backseat of a car, he contacted the sheriff's office, the sheriff explained.
"For obvious reasons, he made an excuse about why he had to leave and did the right thing and called us," Chronister said. "We saved a hostage because of it."
Two deputies arrived and overheard the voices of a man and woman inside a small shed.
"They bang on the door, ask the subjects to come out, and were met with a lot of profanity, telling the deputies to back off, that he had a hostage," Chronister said, adding that the man, later identified as Sarmiento, told deputies he was armed.
The deputies retreated, and waited for SWAT team members and crisis negotiators to arrive.
Over the course of those nine hours, the sheriff said Sarmiento became more "erratic."
"He became even more hostile. He was talking about, "I promise I will die here today. I’m not coming out, and I’m not letting the hostage out,'" Chronister described.
At one point, Sarmiento revealed himself behind the shed's window and one of the negotiators fired a single shot, striking the suspect, the sheriff said. The SWAT team entered and removed the girlfriend.
SWAT medics began providing life-saving measures, officials said, until Sarmiento was taken to South Bay Hospital, where he passed away.
As for the murder victim, Chronister said investigators have yet to identify the individual and determine their relationship with Sarmiento. The sheriff added that the suspect is no stranger to law enforcement, adding that Sarmiento has been arrested on eight previous felony charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
"This is a good community. Wimauma has become a very good community," Chronister said. "This was a surprise to us. The individual involved wasn’t. He’s not a person who is new to violence."
The woman taken hostage by Sarmiento has not been identified. It’s unclear what, if anything, she knew about murder, but Sheriff Chronister explained detectives believe she knew the victim well.
"The new-found girlfriend stayed at this same residence on and off as our victim of our homicide, so we know there's a relationship there. I just can't say unequivocally what it is at this point," said Chronister.
Sheriff Chronister also noted she and Sarmiento had only recently begun dating.
The 5600 block of SR-674 has reopened to traffic.