St. Petersburg Times
March 03, 2001, Saturday
(PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla.) -- A sheriff’s deputy shot a man early Friday who had hit the officer with a pickup truck, authorities say.
Deputy Jason Walker fired his weapon three times and hit Brian C. Crumpton, 21, of Alabama, in the arms and chest.
Crumpton, wanted on burglary charges in Alabama, was in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center, hospital officials said.
Crumpton, who was charged in Pinellas County last year with burglarizing a car, was parked in a handicapped space in an Exxon parking lot at 34th Street N and 62nd Avenue N. He was in the driver’s seat, and Michael Anthony Martin, 23, of Tennessee, was sitting in the passenger’s seat, according to investigators. The two were sleeping in the truck.
Martin told police that the two were staying at a hotel in Hudson while on a construction project and were heading south to see their boss in Pinellas Park.
Crumpton got sleepy, Martin told officers.
Around midnight, Walker noticed the truck and asked Crumpton for his driver’s license. Crumpton said he had no license, and the deputy asked him to get out of the car.
Crumpton turned on the engine and put the gear in reverse, police say.
Walker, who was caught between the door and the cab of the truck, was able to grab part of the truck in the door area and was dragged several feet. The truck smashed into a utility pole.
The deputy let go of the vehicle and drew his weapon, according to reports. He began firing just as Crumpton shifted to drive. The truck crashed into a concrete wall, and Martin got out of the truck and ran. He was found at a nearby residence. He told investigators he had gone for help. He was treated at Bayfront Medical Center and released.
Crumpton faces a charge of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a vehicle as well as the Alabama warrant. Other charges are pending, officials say. Martin faces no charges from the incident.
The shooting is under investigation by the internal affairs department. Walker, 29, was treated for his injuries at Northside Hospital and released. He has been with the department since April 1997, officials said.
Copyright 2001 Times Publishing Company