POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Authorities are investigating a deputy-involved shooting in Pompano Beach that sent a man to the hospital and turned a residential neighborhood into a full-out crime scene.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened just before 11 p.m. on Tuesday, along the 600 block of Briny Avenue.
Surveillance video captured deputies as they responded to a burglary in progress at a construction site.
Investigators said a man armed with a gun gained access to the construction site.
“A white male with a beanie, light-colored shirt, dark pants, with a beard, just entered the property on the south side,” a dispatcher said in radio transmissions.
Area residents said they heard some of the commotion as it unfolded overnight.
“Somewhere, somebody said they were trying to burglarize the construction site, so they might have had some expensive equipment they were trying to steal,” said Mike Brown.
Area resident Jay Bennett said she knows the subject, a boat mechanic named Joe, adding that the incident does not make sense.
“My real gut feeling is, is that this is a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Bennett. “I know I saw Joe yesterday. Joe is an amazing boat mechanic. He has a great job.”
A responding deputy is heard on radio transmissions describing the subject.
“White male, gray shirt, has an American flag on his sleeve, beard, and he has on a baseball cap,” said a first responder in radio transmissions.
Detectives said the subject took out his gun, prompting deputies to open fire.
Corey Scruggs is visiting the area on vacation, and he and his fiancée heard the ordeal from inside their room.
“All of a sudden, there were about six to eight consecutive gunshots going off,” he said. “The sound was just so loud and clear, definitely sounded like bullet spraying, and I actually told my fiancée, ‘Hey, let’s stay low to the ground just in case.'”
Some of the bullets even flew right through a sliding glass door, inches away from a baby’s bassinet in the unit where Trisha Rogge, who is visiting from Illinois, is staying.
“Apparently, a couple of people tried to break in over there, and the cops showed up, and some shooting ensued, and some stray bullets went flying,” said Rogge, “and I know that a couple of them ran out on the beach.”
Detectives have not confirmed whether there were additional subjects involved in the burglary.
The subject was shot by deputies; he was treated on the scene until fire rescue arrived.
Deputies also recovered the subject’s gun.
“A lot of people here and a lot of commotion, and I’m just glad everybody was OK and safe,” said Rogge.
A video from a 7News viewer showed someone being taken away on a stretcher.
The subject was transported to an area hospital where he remains in critical condition.
BSO said one deputy was also injured but is expected to be OK.
Detectives have not identified the deputies involved in the shooting.
“I would like to know, actually, the truth, because I really don’t believe that he got out of his way to attack anybody or be in a situation that he didn’t need to be in for no reason,” said Russell.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the BSO Homicide Unit are both investigating this incident.
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