Sarasota deputy cut with 'massive' machete during armed burglary; suspect fatally shot, officials say
An armed burglary left one man dead and a Sarasota County deputy injured Thursday morning.
The homeowner was sleeping in an efficiency behind the home when the suspect was sharpening a "massive" machete with a baseball bat next to him, Sarasota County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez said. Deputies from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call from the homeowner at 9:29 a.m.
After calling 911, the homeowner fled the residence at 310 Richardson Way in Sarasota, and the suspect stayed inside the efficiency.
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Four deputies arrived in just under two minutes and entered the efficiency. The suspect advanced toward the deputies with the machete, striking a deputy's hand, Perez said.
As the machete made contact with the deputy, two deputies fired their weapons. The suspect fell to the ground, and the deputies began performing aid immediately, Perez said. Emergency Medical Services were called, but the man died.
"Any day that our deputies have to fire their weapons is not a good day," Perez said. "It's not a good day at all."
The deputy who was cut in the hand with the machete was taken to the hospital. He underwent surgery but didn't sustain life-threatening injuries, Perez said. He has been with the agency for at least 15 years.
"I pray to God he doesn't lose his fingers or his hand," Perez said.
Perez said officials are determining the man's identity, but said that she's confident the homeowner did not know the suspect.
During the 911 call, the homeowner said that he woke up to the suspect lying next to him on the bed, holding a machete he took from the efficiency.
"He's got a damn machete, and he's a little wacked," the man said during the call.
The homeowner and other deputies at the scene were not injured.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County sheriff's deputy injured with machete during armed burglary
