Man dead, deputies hurt in Florida shootout
By Jess Seldner
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LAKELAND, Florida (WESH) — Two Polk County Deputies are recovering, and a man is dead after an early-morning shootout.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said a deputy was out Friday night patrolling an area that had become a hotspot for car burglaries. She noticed a white car at Hunt Fountain Park off Green Road two hours after the park closed.
She called for backup, and more deputies joined her. They approached the car and the man started shooting, hitting Lt.Chad Anderson and Deputy Craig Smith.
Sheriff Judd says this man was a Moorish Sovereign Citizen. He said, “Moorish Sovereign Citizens are known to believe that federal law, state law, local law does not apply to them. They are known to resist law enforcement, and there is a history where they shoot police officers.”
He said Lt. Anderson was shot once through his arm and into his chest. Dep. Smith was shot four times. Lt. Anderson and the other deputies were able to shoot back, killing the man.
This is an active investigation.
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