During a four-hour standoff over shoplifted cigarettes, a Florida man set fire to his Deltona home and shot a deputy.
The bullet only grazed the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputy, who sustained non-life-threatening wounds.
Another round damaged the ballistic protection of a sergeant.
In a news release, the Sheriff’s Office stated:
Deputies responded to the Wawa at 3400 Howland Blvd. after an employee called around 4:30 a.m. reporting a regular customer reached over the counter and stole cigarettes. It was reported the suspect had a knife on his hip, but no gun was displayed.
When deputies began arriving on scene, the suspect drove at one and fled from another who attempted a traffic stop.
A deputy deployed stop sticks on the fleeing vehicle, deflating the driver’s side tires. The suspect, identified as Dempsey Hadley, was still able to drive at slow speed to his home at 3230 Whitehorse Court.
Deputies conducted a felony stop on the vehicle, but Hadley ignored their commands and refused to come out.
When deputies approached to remove Hadley from the vehicle, Hadley fired.
Hadley was seen igniting fires inside the cab of his truck as the deputies withdrew.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were able to safely rescue the suspect’s son and a dog from the house.
Negotiators, SWAT, K-9s, drones, and Air One were deployed, and fire and EMS were staged nearby.
“SWAT used the VSO Bearcat vehicle to reposition Hadley’s truck and block it from fleeing, pushing it into the garage. He exited the truck and entered the attic. A short time later, smoke became visible from the house, followed by flames, which engulfed the upper floors of the home,” the news release explained.
Hadley still refused to surrender but emerged onto a second-floor balcony.
SWAT arrived on the scene with the VSO Rook and a Bearcat boom to “dismantle the balcony and bring Hadley to the ground, away from the burning house.”
The culprit was apprehended and treated for his injuries on the scene before being transported to the hospital.
Hadley has been charged with three charges: attempted murder of a police officer, fleeing or attempting to avoid police, and petty retail theft.