SARASOTA, Fla. — Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies said they were forced to shoot and kill an armed suspect who stabbed another deputy with a machete after breaking into a home.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that deputies were called to an efficiency apartment in Sarasota by a homeowner who said that the suspect broke in while he was asleep. The victim told police that he woke up to find the suspect using a baseball bat to sharpen a large machete.
In the 911 call, the homeowner said: “I have an intruder that broke into my home. He’s got a damn machete and he’s a little whacked,” WTVT reported. “I woke up on a mattress and there’s a guy lying next to me saying ‘I love you.’”
When deputies arrived and went into the apartment, the suspect used the machete to slice a deputy’s hand, causing serious injuries, according to the news release. Two deputies fired their weapons, killing the suspect. In the news release, deputies said they were working to confirm the suspect’s identity.
Deputies told WTVT that while the injured deputy is expected to survive, he did need surgery for what was considered a critical injury. The deputy was not identified, but has been with the sheriff’s office for at least 15 years, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
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