By Mark Price
The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A bicyclist trying to outrun a patrol car made an even gutsier move when he flashed a gun at the pursuing deputy, north Florida investigators say.
It did not end well.
The deputy — perceiving he was being targeted — stopped being polite and rammed the bicyclist, sending him bouncing off the hood, sailing through hedges and crashing to the ground, a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office video shows.
It happened just before midnight on Saturday, Jan. 4 , in the Palm Coast community, and the bicyclist was both angry and hurt, letting out a string of curse words directed at the deputy. Warning: The full, unedited video contains explicit language.
The odd pursuit began when Deputy Christopher Murphy reported seeing a man “standing next to a bicycle on the ground” and tried to talk to him. That’s when the suspect hopped on the bike and took off in the dark, video shows.
“Deputy Murphy got back into his patrol vehicle and attempted to catch up,” the department said in a Jan. 6 Facebook post.
“He observed (the suspect) pulling a firearm out of his pants. Deputy Murphy, fearing that (he) would engage him with the firearm, struck (the suspect) with his vehicle, ejecting him from the bicycle and causing him to drop the firearm.”
A 9-millimeter Ruger firearm was found at the scene, and the bicyclist was discovered to be “wearing a holster for the weapon,” officials said.
The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment of a “minor injury to his right ankle,” then arrested, officials said.
He is charged with:
* Felony assault or battery on a law enforcement officer
* Felony fleeing and eluding
* Felony resisting an officer with violence
* Felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
* Misdemeanor improper exhibition of a firearm of dangerous weapon
Palm Coast is about a 60-mile drive south from Jacksonville.
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