By Walter Pacheco and April Hunt
The Orlando Sentinel
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A fugitive wanted on multiple drug and weapons charges shook his quiet west Orange County neighborhood this morning when he drove a car through his garage door and toward local and federal agents during an attempted arrest.
Orange County sheriff’s deputies and U.S. Marshals officials shot Artrall Golden, 22, in the arm and abdomen at about 6:15 a.m. as he tried to escape from his home, off Beagle Street and Falabella Court, just east of Ocoee.
""Deputies noticed the suspect [Golden] running from room to room inside the house and then into the garage,” U.S. Marshal Jimmy Disbrow said. “The garage door wasn’t even fully open when he bolted out and almost ran over two deputies. He fled, but came back because he was wounded.”
Disbrow said Golden was undergoing surgery at Orlando Regional Medical Center and listed under stable condition. Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Solomons said 36-year-old master deputy Ed Edwards -- who fired at Golden -- has “not been placed on paid leave, but was assigned administrative duties.” Edwards is a 13-year law enforcement veteran.
“I can’t believe this is happening in my neighborhood,” said one resident who opened up her garage door to see police tape blocking her driveway. “It’s always so quiet here.”
Golden’s arrest this morning is part of a week-long operation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals that seeks to reduce the number of outstanding warrants in the area.
“We still have teams of agents and deputies arresting people,” Disbrow said.
U.S. Marshals agents said Golden is a member of a local gang of crooks that targets drug dealers’ homes to rob them of their illegal contraband.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show Golden has been arrested several times since 2006 and faced at least 29 charges, including possession of cocaine, aggravated stalking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, prowling and aggravated battery on a law enforcement official, among other offenses.
Agents this morning confirmed finding drugs and a weapon “in plain view” inside the home that Golden shared with his girlfriend and children.
Residents of the west Orange County community still were reeling from this morning’s shooting.
“I stepped outside when I saw the news reports. I saw an aerial view of the neighborhood and recognized my car,” said Carlos Roberto Fuentes, who was visiting friends living on Beagle Street. “I always hear about crime in Orlando, but never thought it would happen down the street.”
Copyright 2007 Orlando Sentinel