Orange County deputy opens fire as illegal gun suspects jump out of rideshare vehicle, sheriff says
ORLANDO, Fla. - Two suspects accused of illegally modifying handguns to be fully automatic jumped out of a rideshare vehicle during a traffic stop on Friday, leading to a deputy-involved shooting, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference on Friday afternoon.
Deputies received information at around 11:45 a.m. about two people who were in possession of semi-automatic handguns that were illegally modified to make them fully automatic, Mina said. After deputies conducted surveillance, they initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle the two suspects were in – which happened to be a rideshare vehicle.
The two suspects, whose identities have not been released to the public yet, jumped out of the rideshare vehicle as soon as the vehicle stopped. . One of them had a gun in his hand, Mina said. That's when an Orange County sheriff's deputy fired his weapon. The suspect was not injured, and neither was the deputy or the rideshare driver.
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There is a huge law enforcement presence at Pine Hills Road and Elinore Drive in Orange County, Florida. SKYFOX hovered over the scene earlier Friday, where there were more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles in the area, including at least one forensics van. OCSO said in a post on X for people to avoid the area.
"I imagine it was very scary for him," Mina said about the rideshare driver. Mina also clarified that the tip came in from the community, and not from the rideshare driver.
The suspect who was shot at fled on foot, but was eventually detained by deputies. The other suspect also fled, and deputies were able to locate and capture him after a search. A gun was found at the scene.
This incident triggered a large police presence in the area of Pine Hills Road and Elinore Drive on Friday afternoon. More than a dozen law enforcement vehicles were present and people were asked to avoid the area.
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"Our deputies risk their lives every single day. This is what these deputies do. That's why we wear body armor and train as hard as they do, because it's very dangerous out here with criminals who are committing violence and carrying firearms that are being modified to be automatic. Clearly illegal," Mina said.
Mina said deputies' body-worn cameras were activated. It remains unclear at this time when that footage will be released.
"Certainly any time someone jumps out of a vehicle with a firearm, we're thankful that our deputy wasn't injured. We're thankful that a community member that was nearby wasn't injured. And we're thankful that the suspect wasn't injured as well. It could have been very bad for him," Mina said.
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The deputy who fired his weapon is on paid administrative leave, which is protocol for a deputy-involved shooting. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the incident, turn over their results to the State Attorney's Office, and then the Orange County Sheriff's Office will conduct their own internal investigation.