Police1 Staff Report
(ORLANDO, Fla.) -- A bulletproof vest saved a deputy’s life the day after Christmas hen he was ambushed by two armed masked men while responding to a 911 call.
About 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 26 Deputies Troy Teigs and Alex Roman responded to a call of a home invasion at 2716 Windsorgate Lane.
Teigs entered the house through an open door, announced that he was from law enforcement and commanded the occupants to come forward, according to Jim Solomons, public information officer for the Orange County Sheriff’s department.
At that point the two suspects started firing at the deputy.
“He turned and tried to get hard cover at which point he was shot,” said Solomons.
The bullet hit Teigs between the shoulder blades about one inch below the top of the bulletproof vest. He sustained bruising, but was not seriously injured.
Authorities have not determined the motive of the break-in.
“Home invasions are not usually random, but we’re not prepared to say that this was random or that these people were actually targeted,” Solomons told Police1.
A large quantity of cash was found on the ground in front of the house. Solomons said that the money has not been tied to the break in, but investigators are looking into a possible connection.
One of the gunmen removed his mask, authorities said. Both were wearing ninja-style masks and caps with letters that included “P.D.,” as in “police department,” and deputies released a composite drawing of him yesterday.