Deputy hospitalized after officer-involved shooting in Polk County

A deputy is being hospitalized after confrontation with a suspect on Friday night in Polk County, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

Sheriff Grady Judd gave preliminary details about the shooting that occurred around 9:30 p.m. He said a man came to visit his grandmother in the Oakwood Estates neighborhood off of Spirit Lake Road in Winter Haven. Following a disturbance, the man hit his grandmother with a vehicle and knocked her down.

The woman was rushed to Lakeland Regional Hospital to be treated for her injuries as an emergency case, Sheriff Judd said.

The man fled and t-boned a deputy who was in the process of turning around on the roadway to continue searching for the victims address and the suspect who the deputy knew was in the area, Sheriff Judd said. There was a confrontation after the crash and the deputy shot the suspect.

The suspect was pronounced dead on-scene, Sheriff Judd said.

Sheriff Judd said that the PCSO will share more information after preliminary investigations are complete.