Florida police officer opens fire on man accused of groping woman outside her home

Police are searching for a man who groped a woman outside her home before fleeing from Eustis police Tuesday evening. 

At 8:48 p.m. Tuesday night, officers responded to an incident involving someone running up behind a woman and groping her before throwing her to the ground, a press release shows. 

The man was described as a thin Black man, six feet tall, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and a surgical mask. 

When officers arrived, they saw an early 2000s model black Cadillac Escalade with a man inside fitting the description of the suspect. When the man tried to "conceal himself behind the dashboard area," he was ordered to get out of the car by police. 

Credit: Eustis Police Officeer

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As another officer was arriving as backup, the man began to accelerate directly toward that officer who opened fire on the suspect, police said. 

When the man fled the scene, he struck another car, so police said there will be significant damage to the car on the passenger side front end. 

Police also believe this groping attack is related to similar incidents that happened back in April.