FT. MYERS, FL — The suspect in Wednesday’s fatal shooting of a City of St. Petersburg sanitation worker has been arrested following a pursuit and standoff on Interstate 75 in Lee County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, troopers received a BOLO around 12:30 p.m. for a suspect believed to be involved in the St. Petersburg homicide and possibly suicidal. Troopers located the suspect in Lee County and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect fled.
A Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver was performed near southbound Exit 128 at Alico Road on I-75, bringing the vehicle to a stop. Authorities said the suspect then barricaded himself inside the vehicle and refused to comply with commands.
State troopers and Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies established contact with the suspect, who was eventually taken into custody. The suspect was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the use of force during the arrest.
The arrest comes hours after a 12-year City of St. Petersburg sanitation technician was fatally shot while sitting inside her front-end loader work vehicle in the 4100 block of 12th Avenue South. Police previously said the victim and suspect knew each other and that the shooting was not a random act.
Sources: Florida Highway Patrol, St. Petersburg Police Department
