Speeding driver crushes deputies between cars, Florida sheriff says. ‘Never had a chance’

Two deputies were “intentionally attacked” when a suspect struck the pair with a speeding car, according to a Florida sheriff’s office.

Two Hillsborough County deputies were slammed with a car Thursday, Nov. 9, pinning them between the driver’s vehicle and their patrol car, Sheriff Chad Chronister said during a news conference. Both officers were flown to a hospital and underwent surgery for “significant leg injuries,” Chronister said.

The suspect was arrested after the crash, the sheriff said, and he “chose today to use his car as a weapon.”

A woman called the sheriff’s office at 7:44 a.m. to report that her son was having a mental health crisis, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. The woman’s son was “kicking in doors throughout the house,” Chronister said, and it made his mother “fear for her life.”

Two deputies arrived at the home, which was located at the end of a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood in the Tampa suburb of Brandon, and spotted the man, 28-year-old Ralph Bouzy, sitting in a running car, the sheriff said. The officers tried to deescalate the situation, Chronister said, but Bouzy wanted “nothing to do with the deputies.”

Bouzy put the car in reverse and drove away, according to the sheriff’s office.

Another pair of deputies responded, and while they were outside of their parked car, the suspect came back “at a high rate of speed,” Chronister said. The two jumped out of the way between the two patrol cars, but Bouzy smashed into the other officers standing about 10 feet away from their vehicle, according to the sheriff.

The two officers who were hit “never had a chance” to get out of the way, Chronister said. They were pushed back into their car, pinning them between the suspect’s car and their own.

After the crash, Bouzy “nonchalantly” got out of his car and walked to his mother’s house, Chronister said. The other two officers ordered him to the ground, but he ignored their commands, according to the sheriff. The deputies then used their taser and brought Bouzy to the ground to arrest him, Chronister said.

One officer stayed with Bouzy to apprehend him, while the other ran to his car to gather medical supplies for the injured officers, Chronister said. Firefighters soon arrived to take over medical care, the sheriff said, and the injured officers were flown to Tampa General Hospital.

Corporal Carlos Brito had the most serious injury from the crash, Chronister said, as he may need to have a leg amputated. A piece of the 39-year-old’s femur bone got jammed into the cars, the sheriff said, while the other deputy, 31-year-old Manny Sanchez, may have had a “bilateral break” in a leg.

“As you can imagine, these deputies’ lives are changed forever,” Chronister said.

Bouzy was charged with attempted murder on a law enforcement officer, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office news release, and more charges may be added.

Brandon is about 15 miles east of downtown Tampa.

If you or someone you know need help, you can contact the NAMI HelpLine. The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public. You can call 1-800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640 each Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

If you need immediate help in a crisis, call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

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