BROWARD, Fla. — One suspect had a stolen assault rifle slung over his shoulder and two others had guns when Broward Sheriff's Office SWAT team members moved to arrest the trio at a Tamarac warehouse, officials said Wednesday.
The three suspects, surprised Tuesday night in the midst of planning a home invasion, reached for their weapons, sparking a brief but chaotic confrontation, said Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti. Two SWAT team members fired four shots during the incident at a warehouse near McNab Road and the Sawgrass Expressway, critically wounding Rodolfo Martinez, 24, of Fort Lauderdale, in the chest and arm and grazing Lazaro Cruz, 26, of North Miami, officials said.
Martinez and Cruz remained hospitalized Wednesday. A third suspect, Donald Duhart, Jr., 30, of Fort Lauderdale, was not injured. He is being held without bond at the Broward County Jail. Charges are pending against the three men, officials said.
None of the suspects fired shots during the incident, Lamberti said, and no deputies were injured.
Tuesday's incident was the fourth deputy-involved shooting in the past two months, during which deputies have killed two suspects and injured four others.
On Wednesday night, a deputy fired his gun at a man who tried to run him over during a Pompano Beach traffic stop, the Sheriff's Office said. Officials say the suspect was not injured and is now in custody. No other details were immediately available.
Lamberti blamed the spike in shootings on increased hostility against law enforcement, which he said has reached a level he's never seen in the area.
"These offenders now, they're not going peacefully. Now there seems a willingness to shoot it out," he said.
Lamberti called the recent shootings by sheriff's deputies, including Tuesday's, "totally justified."
The state attorney's office will make the official determination, which is routine in deputy-involved shootings. Sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating and then will forward their findings to the state attorney's office for review.
Meanwhile, the two SWAT team members who fired their weapons Tuesday have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is also routine. Their identities have not been made public.