- Casino robbery suspect tracked by aviation unit into Margate neighborhood
- Gunfight erupts after police encounter; deputy struck but vest prevents injury
- State and internal investigators review deputy-involved shooting circumstances
A man who grabbed cash from a customer and ran from the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Casino in Margate, Fla. on Thursday morning was later shot in a gunfight with police, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO).
A deputy was also hit in the chest during the shootout but was protected by his bulletproof vest and did not sustain serious injury, the BSO said. The condition of the suspect is unknown.
Tracked by Helicopter
Seminole Police requested the BSO’s help in apprehending the suspect after the nonviolent casino robbery. The agency’s Burglary Apprehension Team (BAT) began tracking the movements of a man in his 20s with the help of the Aviation Unit, according to CBS News Miami.
The pursuit passed through the BSO’s North Lauderdale District’s jurisdiction into a residential area that was the jurisdiction of Margate Police.
When deputies finally encountered the suspect on what looked from CBS News helicopter images like a suburban driveway, all hell broke loose.
Footage of the aftermath appears to show a tactical SUV and a law enforcement truck smashed into a black car riddled with bullet holes on the driveway.
“I looked through the back door, and there was police, a car, a door was open, someone standing there, and the next thing we heard was gunshots,” local resident Cavine Dickson told the news station. “I thought it was a firecracker, but I know it’s gunshots because there [were] tons of police.”
“I looked outside, and there [were] cars. The next thing I know, I saw someone come out of a car, standing like this, [and] all I heard afterward was no end of shots,” she added. “It was like fireworks – pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.”
Who Fired First?
BSO’s Public Information Officer Miranda Grossman said it wasn’t clear who fired the first shot.
An encounter occurred between deputies. And at some point during that encounter, the deputy-involved shooting did occur with the suspect,” she said. “This incident tonight really shows us what dangers our deputies face every single day.”
Both the deputy and the suspect were transported to Broward Health North in Pompano Beach, though BSO hasn’t released any more details about their conditions. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident, and the BSO Internal Affairs Unit will conduct a separate review.
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