Investigators said six Melbourne police officers opened fire on an accused robber who pulled out a gun during a confrontation in a Burger King parking lot early Monday morning.

Police said they knew the suspect could be armed based on the previous robberies and when they cornered him in a parking lot, he waved his gun and the officers fired back. Detectives said Matthew McDaniel, 35, was dangerous and on the run, wanted for at least four robberies in Brevard County.

Investigators said they believe McDaniel was the man seen in several surveillance videos robbing two gas stations and a CVS in Melbourne, and a Subway in Palm Bay.

The videos showed the suspect pulling a gun and demanding cash, police said.

Police said after finding McDaniel at the Riverpalm Hotel in Melbourne late Sunday night, detectives followed him as he drove to a Burger King, which they believe he was also planning to rob.

But when both undercover and uniformed officers approached McDaniel, things got dangerous. Police said he tried to drive away in his car, and then realizing he was blocked, pulled out a handgun.

That, Melbourne police Chief Steve Mimbs said, was when the six officers opened fire.

"Unfortunately, with those circumstances — we are faced with an armed felony suspect — I expect the officers to protect themselves and the community from that kind of threat," Mimbs said during a news conference Monday. "At that point, he produced a handgun and the officers were forced to take his life."

However, police said they do not know if McDaniel fired his weapon.

McDaniel was arrested in December 2014 for grand theft and had a warrant for his arrest for a crime in Orlando. Detectives said McDaniel was dangerous and bold, never even hiding his face in any of these robberies.

The six officers involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, which is a standard procedure in any officer-involved shooting.

(PHOTO/Jon Shaban, Staff)

(PHOTO/Jon Shaban, Staff)