Man who attacked Ormond Beach police officer sentenced to 20 years in prison
A Holly Hill man who attacked an Ormond Beach police officer and then led law enforcement on a chase that ended after a standoff was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Dillon Calisi, 29, entered no contest pleas to 10 charges, including four felonies: attempted aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer; attempt to deprive officer of protection or communication; fleeing or attempting to elude lights and siren; and possession of a firearm by convicted state felon.
Circuit Judge Leah Case adjudicated Calisi guilty and sentenced him on Friday to 20 years in state prison as outlined in the plea agreement.
Documents identified Calisi as a gang member, but did not identify the gang.
Ormond Beach Police Officer Richard Rubin encountered Calisi while he checked a report of two people sleeping in a vehicle just before 2 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2020, at a gas station at 5900 S. Atlantic Ave.
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Calisi fumbled around in the vehicle and avoided answering questions; then he tried putting the vehicle in drive, according to the affidavit.
Rubin reached into the vehicle to stop him, pulled Calisi out and tried to secure him. But Calisi fought with the officer and tried to get the officer’s firearm, the affidavit said.
During the struggle, Calisi said something about a firearm in the car, the affidavit stated.
Meanwhile, a woman in the car got out and stepped away for her safety, according to the affidavit.
Rubin fired his Taser twice at Calisi during the fight, but was unable to get a good connection, the affidavit said.
Calisi used his knee to strike Rubin in the head four or five times during the fight, the affidavit stated.
Calisi then ran from the officer, got in his car and sped away southbound on A1A, the affidavit stated.
Arriving Volusia sheriff's deputies saw Rubin with his gun drawn standing by a blue Nissan Sentra trying to stop the Calisi, according to an affidavit. But Calisi drove away.
Volusia County deputies, Daytona Beach and Holly Hill police departments along with Volusia County Beach Safety and Ocean Rescue rushed to assist Ormond Beach police.
A Volusia deputy spotted Calisi in Holly Hill, but the suspect refused to stop. Officers continued to pursued him and Calisi's vehicle crashed at Nova Road and Eighth Street where Calisi said he was "determined to go out by 'suicide by cop' and he was willing to murder any law enforcement officer he could in the process," according to a charging affidavit.
During the standoff, Calisi fired two shots from a .22-caliber revolver into the vehicle's floorboard, the affidavit stated.
Members of the sheriff’s office SWAT team approached Calisi’s vehicle using a BearCat tactical vehicle. They deployed tear gas and a sting-ball grenade into the car.
The sting-ball grenade caused Calisi's car to catch fire, prompting his surrender, the affidavit stated.
The sting-ball grenade is a stun device that has minimal gunpowder and is loaded with rubber pellets and a mace-like chemical.
Additional threats
The plea deal also resolved another case in which Calisi, who was already a convicted felon at the time, was arrested after he was found with ammunition while sleeping in a car on Dec. 7, 2019, in Daytona Beach. During that arrest, he threatened to kill an officer and his family, the affidavit stated.
Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilleger prosecuted, according to a release from the State Attorney’s Office.
“The defendant has multiple felony convictions including a prior resisting officer with violence and carrying a concealed weapon,” according to a statement from State Attorney R.J. Larizza. “His penchant for violent criminal activity escalated with his most recent slew of aggressive and desperate crimes. Consequently, public safety demanded a lengthy prison sentence.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida man gets 20 years in prison in Ormond Beach police attack
