MARGATE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy was taken to the hospital after being shot by a man accused of committing a cash crime at a casino, authorities said.
According to investigators, it all began with a theft incident at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, early Thursday morning. It ended hours later with both the deputy and the subject in the hospital.
Seminole Police officials said the subject grabbed cash out of the hand of a patron. No one was hurt at the casino.
Deputies were called to assist in the arrest of the man, who, investigators said, led them on a roughly 17-mile pursuit.
During their search, BSO’s Aviation Unit and Burglary Apprehension Team traveled through the North Lauderdale district. North Lauderdale and Margate Police units were also involved in the operation.
Authorities said they ended up along the 6100 block of Northwest Second Street in Margate, and that’s when things took a violent turn. At around 2:30 p.m., deputies said, the man they were looking for opened fire on the deputies, prompting multiple deputies to return fire.
“A deputy-involved shooting did occur,” said BSO spokesperson Miranda Grossman. “The suspect was armed in the car and fired a shot at the deputy.”
Surveillance video from a camera recorded the gunshots.
“One of our deputies was shot by the suspect. Fortunately, he was protected by his bulletproof vest, and he did not sustain life-threatening injuries,” said Grossman.
Another surveillance camera captured SWAT units surrounding a black car.
7Skyforce hovered above the scene, where a SWAT vehicle was seen next to the black car, which was riddled with bullets. A white unmarked police pickup truck with a bullet hole in the windshield was parked right behind the black vehicle, and a pool of blood was seen on the ground next to the black vehicle.
Video shared with 7News appears to show the subject on a gurney being loaded into the back of an ambulance following the incident.
Paramedics transported both the deputy and the subject to Broward Health North. The deputy is expected to be OK.
Residents who live in the neighborhood, some of whom coudn’t go inside their homes, told 7News they heard the gunfire.
Marcha Mohamed said she hid in her home as it all unfolded.
“And also, I heard like ‘pop pop’ noises, and I thought it was fireworks at first. I’m like, ‘Fireworks in the day?'” she said.
“I heard the shots. I heard one shot, and then about 20 shots,” said Tom.
Another resident said she was shocked to learn what had happened.
“Upon my arrival, to see just the inundation of police officers and undercovers and the SWAT team, I’ve never seen this in my neighborhood, and I’ve been living here since 2000,” she said.
7News cameras captured bullet holes in nearby homes.
“We were in shock, ’cause this is a quiet neighborhood. Nothing like that [has] really happened,” said Constance Dennis, who lives on the same block where the shooting took place.
BSO said their deputies’ gear and training did precisely what it was supposed to do, especially after recent tragedies involving other South Florida law enforcement agencies that resulted in the loss of a brother in blue.
“To know that this deputy puts his life in danger every single day, like all of our deputies do, and that he can go home to his family tonight,” said Grossman.
Thursday night, deputies remained at the scene collecting evidence as they pieced together what led up to the shooting.
As of early Friday afternoon, detectives have not disclosed the subject’s identity or condition.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating this deputy-involved shooting.
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