By Tess Sheets
Orlando Sentinel
LAKE MARY, Fla. — A man accused of dragging a Seminole County deputy about 100 yards on an Interstate 4 on-ramp during a traffic stop Saturday is facing an attempted murder charge, Sheriff Dennis Lemma told reporters at a news conference Saturday.
The suspect, Rocky Rudolph Jr., 38, was shot in the leg by the deputy during the incident, Lemma said. He was taken to a hospital after being apprehended by authorities about eight hours after the initial traffic stop, from which he fled, according to Lemma.
The deputy involved, identified as Aaron Blais, was also taken to a hospital and has since been released, Lemma said.
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Rudolph, of Apopka, was pulled over for illegal window tint just before 10 a.m. at the westbound on-ramp to I-4 near H E Thomas Parkway, Lemma told reporters. He said Blais smelled marijuana and asked Rudolph if he had a medical marijuana card, which he said he didn’t.
Lemma said Rudolph refused commands to turn off his car, and while Blais was “attached to the window,” Rudolph drove about 20 feet, dragging him. Blais was “still engaged” with Rudolph when he stopped the car, and he pulled his gun out while radioing for backup, Lemma told reporters.
Rudolph then grabbed Blais and held him as he drove the car another roughly 100 yards toward I-4, according to Lemma.
“Deputy Blais falls off the car, rolls into the median and is witnessed by eye witnesses all around,” Lemma said at the news conference.
Rudolph’s black Escalade “spun out” and he fled on foot, sparking an hours-long search that involved several nearby agencies, according to Lemma. He was apprehended in another vehicle about 4:30 p.m. by the Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team.
During the incident, Blais fired into Rudolph’s car, striking him in the leg, Lemma said. It’s unclear when Blais discharged his gun or how many bullets he fired.
“I don’t know how many rounds were fired into the car, but it was probably not enough,” Lemma told reporters.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Bob Kealing said.
The sheriff said Rudolph, who is a convicted felon, was seen by witnesses throwing a gun in bushes as he fled the scene and had another firearm in his car.
Lemma said he was “absolutely convinced that Rudolph was reaching for his gun” during the incident, and that body camera and dashboard footage, which the Sheriff’s Office said they will release, will “clearly show that.”
Rudolph is facing charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault, among others, Lemma said.
©2019 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)