By Police1 Staff
ORLANDO, Fla. — Attorneys have dropped attempted murder charges against a man who officers said tried to ram them with his van outside a Target store in November.
Surveillance video obtained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement appears to show a police pickup truck pushing the van into the other cruisers - evidence “inconsistent” with some of the officers’ sworn statements, the department said.
Officers shot Rogelio Cortes in the abdomen and arm during the November incident, according to WKMG.
The circumstances of the takedown are unclear, but a police sergeant riding in the pickup truck said the men inside the van stole her husband’s credit card and used it to buy a large amount of expensive electronics.
No policy preventing officers from investigating crimes in which their husbands or other relatives are victims, Orlando police said.
A dozen officers were involved in the altercation, and prosecutors have decided not to take legal action against them, sources say. An internal investigation is ongoing.
Cortes was also charged with attempting to flee or elude police, and those charges remain.