POLK COUNTY, Fla. - Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd briefed the media on the scene of an officer-involved shooting involving the Haines City Police Department that Friday evening near Davenport.
According to police, the Haines City officer spotted a stolen 2014 Nissan Versa. The officer followed the vehicle for a short distance as his backup arrived. backup arrived.
The officers tried to initiate a traffic stop.
"The people driving that vehicle could have ended this and stopped this by pulling over and doing the right thing. They chose instead to flee. Now, my officers realized that this vehicle was a 2400-pound missile that could place other lives in danger, so they attempted to stop the vehicle and initiated a Pursuit. The Pursuit went for a short distance, and then the suspects committed an account of aggravated battery of the motor vehicle by striking another vehicle near the intersection of Highway 27 and Polk City Road," said Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck.
Read: Polk County Sheriff’s Office Solves 1972 “John Doe” Homicide In Eloise
The officers continued to pursue, and the suspects struck another vehicle, police said.
An officer performed a PIT maneuver on the vehicle, which ended the pursuit.
Goreck says the passenger was reaching for a firearm, and the officer fired his service weapon.
The driver of the stolen vehicle was Victor Espinoza-Rodriguez, 19, and the suspect who was shot is Javier Najera 17, and was a passenger in the vehicle, according to Sheriff Judd.
"Now, it's important for you to understand. The driver of the stolen vehicle was 19 years old. The passenger who was shot was 17 years old. They should be just kids. One just graduated from high school. And the other may be preparing to graduate from high school, but that's not what you have here," said Judd.
"We see gang affiliation tattoos on the 19-year-old, and we certainly believe that he is affiliated with a gang. It's early in the investigation of his gang status. But let me introduce you to Victor Espinoza-Rodriguez. At only 19 years of age, he already has 11 felony charges. Six misdemeanor charges and three violations of probation that include drug burglary," said Judd.
"Our juvenile has no inclination to obey the law. When he's given a break by being placed on probation, they've had to violate him five different times. He has charges for drugs and resisting with battery. He is currently, as a result of his gunshot, in an emergency surgery at a local Trauma Center," said Judd.
No law enforcement officers were injured. The 10th Judicial Circuit Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force is investigating the incident.
This story will be updated.
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