Originally posted: Tuesday, Dec. 06, 2016, 11:01 p.m.
A Lake County deputy fatally shot a suspect who attempted to carjack an occupied vehicle, led deputies on a foot chase that ended in a lake and then attempted to hit a deputy in the head with a boat oar, deputies said.
- Lake County deputies responded to hit-and-run, carjacking
- Deputies: Suspect tried to hit deputy in head with boat oar
- Deputy used stun gun and then fired his agency-issued firearm
The Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to a call of a hit-and-run where the suspect crashed into a store and then hit another vehicle along Piccola Drive in Fruitland Park.
When deputies responded to the scene, the suspect led them on a foot pursuit that reached a lake.
Sgt. Fred Jones, of the Lake County Sheriff's Office, said the suspect got into a boat and tried to batter the deputy with an oar. The deputy was chest-deep in the water, Jones said.
The deputy deployed his agency-issued stun gun, but it was ineffective.
""Next thing you know you got a make a split second decision," said Sgt. Fred Jones with the Lake County Sheriff's Office. "Is this guy going to injure me or possibly kill me, with an oar? So nobody wants to be in that situation but it is self defense."
The suspect again tried to hit the deputy in the head with the oar, which is when the deputy fired his firearm.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The deputy, a 12-year veteran, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.