Page 44 - Florida Sentinel 1-17-20

Crime
Armed Carjacker Hurt In Shootout
Woman Injured, Man Killed In Police Shooting
With Police
A crime spree involving two people began in Plant City Wednesday afternoon. It ended with a police officer being run over, one of the suspects being shot twice by police, and the other dead.
According to Plant City po- lice, officers were conducting surveillance on a silver pickup truck and observed a female in- side. She had active warrants for her arrest, including kidnap- ping. Two unmarked police cars followed the pickup truck into the parking lot of the United Food Store, 1506 Sammonds Road.
When the officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver of the truck rammed both of the police cars. The driver then turned the truck towards
Woman Arrested For Making Bomb In Walmart
EMILY STALLARD
A 37-year-old Tampa woman was arrested Saturday. She was charged with making a bomb in- side a local department store.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, a security guard at the Walmart, 2701 E. Fletcher Avenue, observed the woman roaming around inside the store. The woman was report- edly opening packages of items such as flammable materials, pro- jectiles, and matches.
The security guard alerted an off duty Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officer and they de- tained the woman, later identified as Emily Stallard, until deputies arrived. An unidentified child was with her at the time of her arrest.
She was charged with at- tempted arson of a structure, fire bombing, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, child, abuse, and battery on a law en- forcement officer.
A 27-year-old man, shot by police, is facing several charges. He is accused of shooting into a vehicle during a carjacking and fatally injuring a driver in the car.
According to the Plant City Police Department, the violent rampage began Tuesday after- noon. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies re- sponded to the intersection of Colson Road and Tower Ridge Lane just before 1 p.m.
A family member of the unidentified victim called 9-1-1 and reported that the man had been shot. During their investi- gation, deputies determined the victim had been shot while driv- ing his vehicle on Colson Road.
The victim was air-lifted to Tampa General Hospital. He died Wednesday as a result of his injuries.
Just before the 9-1-1 call, the Sheriff’s Office had received nu- merous other calls from drivers in the same area. The drivers had reported that a Black man was armed with a handgun and was attempting to flag down ve- hicles. The callers also reported that the man was shooting his gun at other motorists in the area.
After receiving the 9-1-1 calls, Plant City Police officers and Hillsborough County Sher- iff’s deputies responded with a
JEFFREY DARNELL THOMAS
K-9 unit.
They began to close in on the
man, identified as Jeffrey Dar- nell Thomas near the intersec- tion of Redman Parkway and Kigore Road. Thomas then ran into a residential area.
Police said Thomas fired in their direction and a Plant City police officer returned fire with a rifle, striking Thomas. Thomas was transported to the Lakeland Regional Hospital, where he was admitted with the gunshot wound.
The unidentified officer was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the in- vestigations. Several state and local law enforcement officers are investigating the officer-in- volved shooting, police said.
APRIL THOMPSON
the other police detective and drove towards him. Both detec- tives fired at the truck as it ad- vanced. The driver continued, running over the officer with the vehicle.
The officer was transported to Lakeland Regional Hospital, where he was admitted to the in- tensive care unit with serious in- ternal injuries.
Another officer fired at the advancing vehicle as it left the scene. The woman was shot in the leg, police said.
The suspects are said to have carjacked a blue Toyota truck after fleeing.
The Plant City Police Depart- ment issued an alert to other law enforcement agencies. Around 1:40 p.m., deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, ob- served the stolen truck in the Bailey Road area in a trailer park. While attempting to arrest the woman, identified as 36- year-old April Thompson, the
AARON PHILLIPS
man, later identified as 31-year- old Aaron Phillips, got out of the passenger seat of the vehicle, went around to the other side and got into the driver’s seat. He ignored orders from the officers to stop and attempted to flee the scene with the woman still in the back seat.
When deputies attempted to stop the man, a woman screamed that he had a gun sev- eral times. When Phillips reached down toward the floor- board, Deputy Andre Jack- son shot the suspect. Phillips died at the scene.
Ms. Thompson was also shot in the stomach during the shooting. She was transported to a local hospital, where she is ex- pected to recover from her in- juries.
Both officers involved in the shootings, were placed on ad- ministrative leave pending the outcome of several investiga- tions.
UNCLE SANDY
You are never too old to set another goal, 3, 11, 27, 34, 46, or to dream a new dream 7, 15, 32, 55, 60.
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