Florida Man Attacks Deputy With Machete, Gets Fatally Shot

Sarasota, FL – Sarasota County sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a man on Thursday morning who had just attacked a deputy with a machete.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said the incident occurred just before 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 18 at a residence in the area of Richardson Way and Fruitville Road, WTVT reported.

The homeowner was sleeping in the pool house behind his home while roofing work was performed on the main residence.

He told police that he was awakened when a man carrying a machete and a baseball bat entered the pool house, WTVT reported.

The homeowner said the suspect began sharpening his machete on the baseball bat as he fled the building and called 911.

Four sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene four minutes later, WTVT reported.

The suspect was still inside the pool house, so the deputies went inside the small building and confronted him.

A spokeswoman for SCSO said the suspect charged one of the officers and cut his hand, WTVT reported.

Two other deputies opened fire and shot the machete-wielding suspect.

Deputies immediately began performing First Aid on the suspect, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, WTVT reported.

The wounded deputy was transported to the hospital with critical injuries to his hand.

SCSO said the deputy was headed into surgery with a hand specialist, WTVT reported.

Officials have not yet identified the suspect.

Neighbors told WTSP that the suspect was another neighbor who had been behaving strangely for the past few days.

Charles Zerbini said the suspect had been walking around the neighborhood carrying a baseball bat for the past week “acting crazy.”

Neighbors said that the suspect had messed with a mother at the school bus stop earlier in the week and pointed out that the home he’d broken into had no trespassing signs posted around it, WTSP reported.

“I’m not saying he got what he deserved,” Zerbini said. “But he was looking for trouble and he got trouble.”