Manhunt Underway

It was a routine traffic stop. Police never know what's going to happen when they walk up to a car window:

Police were searching for a man who shot two Polk County sheriff's deputies and a police dog following a traffic stop Thursday, authorities said.

The Polk County deputies were taken to a hospital after the noontime shooting in north Lakeland, Sheriff Grady Judd said.

He wouldn't release their names or discuss their conditions because relatives had not been notified. A hospital spokeswoman referred questions about the deputies to the sheriff's office.

The shooter was first approached in a traffic stop, but he then fled into a wooded area, Judd said. Shots were fired, and the two deputies and a police dog were hit, he said.

The shooting occurred near Kathleen High School, which was locked down, Wood said. A woman at the school who would identify herself only as Mrs. Platt said students were locked in their classrooms and were safe.

Television video footage showed armed police with shields searching a wooded area with traffic backed up on nearby Interstate 4, which runs through the city about 35 miles east of Tampa. A law enforcement helicopter flew over the area, and armed officers were seen surrounding a ramshackle building.

More here:

The shooting occurred in north Lakeland, Fla., near a high school. The suspect police are hunting was described as a black male wearing a white shirt with dreadlocks, who may still have a shotgun. Police said the incident began when the deputies made a routine traffic stop.

The suspect showed police a fake ID, then asked if he was going to be arrested. One of the deputies said "I don't know," then the suspect ran into the nearby woods. The two deputies and a canine dog pursued the suspect, and around 12:30 p.m. ET, "numerous" shots were fired, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

"As a result of that incident, two of our deputies have been shot, the canine's been shot and the suspect's still at large," Judd told reporters shortly before 3 p.m. ET Thursday.

Police surrounded a house where they believed the suspect was hiding out when the fugitive shot twice at them twice, he said. The police returned fire, and the suspect ran off again. There have been "numerous alleged sighting" of the suspect in the area, Judd said.

"Listen to me folks. We will find him, we will bring him to justice. The sooner, the better," Judd said.

He added that police are still trying to notify the families of the wounded deputies and that their names would not be released until that happens.

Television video footage showed armed police with shields searching a wooded area with traffic backed up on nearby Interstate 4 in the town about 35 miles east of Tampa. The incident happened at Memorial Highway and Wabash, near Lakeland.

Illegal alien? If so, he wouldn't be the first to gun down an officer during a routine stop.

(Via Sandspur in comments.)

Video update here.
The police will allow no live video, as the suspect could by now have access to a television.

UPDATE II (video)
Two Lakeland PD later had a run-in with him and gunfire was exchanged. The police weren't injured and the suspect fled again.

One of the deputies has reportedly now died.

How sad, it was the K-9 unit. They'd gone in as back-up for the first deputy:

A K-9 sheriff's deputy Matthew Williams died from his injuries, Local 6 News reported. Another sheriff's deputy Doug Spears was shot once in the leg and was expected to recover. Williams' police dog also died from injuries in the shooting.

Here's a page dedicated to K-9 officers, both human and dog, handlers and PSDs, killed in the line of duty. Theirs is a unique partnership.

UPDATE III:
The suspect was a Jamaican with a fake ID.

Here's a photo of Deputy Williams. An Internet search shows he was very involved with his K-9 partner Rocky, but I don't know yet if this was his partner today.

UPDATE IV:
Deputy William's partner was K-9 officer Diogi.
A video update of the sheriff announcing Deputy Williams' death has the sequence of events, and the Orlando Crime Blog is doing good work keeping people abreast on the events.

Deputy Williams and K-9 Officer Diogi.

UPDATE V:
The police have identified the suspect as Eswardo Ramclaim.

***
Further updates:
Keeping Watch
A Ticket Written In Lead
Together Forever
The Hunt Ends

Posted by floridacracker at September 28, 2006 03:12 PM