Bystander Helps Fla. Deputy in Dangerous Struggle with Suspect over Gun
By Mark Price
Source The Charlotte Observer
What to know
- An Okaloosa County, Florida, sheriff's deputy was struggling with a burglary suspect trying to pull out a loaded pistol when the man tried to take the officer’s weapon.
- A bystander and another deputy reached the scene and helped the deputy struggling with the suspect.
- The 19-year-old suspect was found with stolen items and faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number and armed trespassing.
A deputy locked in a dangerous struggle over control of his gun was able to get the upper hand when a good Samaritan rushed to his aid, according to investigators in the Florida Panhandle.
The brawl happened Wednesday, April 30, as the deputy responded to a burglary report near Crestview, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 1 news release.
“He located an individual on a minibike near Willow Lane who matched the suspect’s description. After a traffic stop ... the deputy saw the individual reach into his front pants pocket and try to draw a gun, later identified as a loaded .380 pistol,” the sheriff’s office reported.
“The deputy was able to get the suspect to the ground, where the man struck him repeatedly and tried multiple times to remove the deputy’s gun from its holster.”
It was then that a good Samaritan “rushed to the scene to help, along with another deputy who arrived,” officials said.
Details of how the good Samaritan aided the deputy were not released and the sheriff’s office did not report whether the deputy was injured in the encounter.
The suspect has been identified as 19-year old Blake Spieth, who lives on the street where the fight erupted, officials said.
Multiple stolen items were recovered, along with “a mask and head covering” seen in video from the crime scene, officials said.
Spieth is charged with:
- Aggravated assault towards a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon
- Resisting an officer with violence
- Larceny
- Possession of a firearm with an altered serial number
- Possession of fentanyl
- Armed trespassing
- Possession of burglary tools
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
“This is a prime example of how quickly things can go south for law enforcement officers working to protect our citizens and their property,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Sheriff Eric Aden said in the release.
“We’re incredibly grateful our brave deputy was able to use his training to escape harm in this incident and we want to acknowledge the courage of the Good Samaritan who rushed to his aid during the struggle over a weapon.”
Crestview is about a 50-mile drive northeast from Pensacola.
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