Florida man armed with knives shot after charging at Volusia County deputy, VSO says

NEW SMYRNA BEACH - A man in New Smyrna Beach was shot by a Florida deputy on Sunday after he armed himself with two knives and charged at a deputy, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office.

Volusia County dispatch received a report of a man "acting erratically with two knives," at a home on Lakeshore Drive in New Smyrna Beach, the Volusia Sheriff's Office said in a news release. It was the second call in the last three weeks about the man, later identified as 43-year-old Michael Collmar, deputies said.

Deputies previously responded to the house on Jan. 17 after his mother reported he was armed, screaming, paranoid, and possibly hallucinating during an apparent mental health episode. Deputies said he was not receptive to the deputies’ attempts to communicate with him and connect him with counseling services.

When deputies entered the back door of the home on Sunday, they deployed tasers and a less-lethal shotgun to subdue the man who was later identified as 43-year-old Michael Collmar. Despite the Taser deployments, Collmar ran out the front door of the home where another deputy was, allegedly charging toward him. 

The deputy shot the man, who was treated at the scene and take to the hospital where he underwent surgery. No one else was hurt, VSO said.

According to VSO, the man was recently released from the Florida Department of Corrections in October 2022 after serving a sentence for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

According to deputies, Collmar was recently released from Florida prison in October 2022 after serving about 4 years for charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. His arrest, in that case, came after he stabbed a Port Orange man multiple times in July 2017. His Florida criminal history includes 31 felony charges with 17 convictions and 33 misdemeanor charges with 19 convictions.