Man killed in hit-and-run while fleeing police in Florida – Action News Jax

According to a Tampa Police press release, officers responded to a parking lot after receiving a report of a domestic dispute.

When an officer attempted to question Rodriguez, the man refused to comply and attempted to get back into the vehicle, which contained a woman believed to be the victim, police said.

In bodycam footage released by Tampa police, the officer can be seen pushing Rodriguez back toward the vehicle and telling him, “You can’t leave.” Rodriguez attempted to leave the area and ignored the officer’s orders to stop, WTVT reported. He allegedly shouted obscenities at the officer, to which the officer responded with an obscenity and threatened to use a stun gun on the suspect.

As Rodriguez ran toward the highway, the officer fired the stun gun, the Times reported. The suspect fell to the ground, his legs resting in the bike lane and his upper body in the right lane of eastbound Hillsborough Avenue, the newspaper reported.

Immediately after hitting the ground, Rodriguez was struck by a four-door sedan traveling east on the highway, the newspaper said.

Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene, Tampa police said in their press release.

“This is being classified as a death in custody as the officer was attempting to make an arrest when the suspect was struck by a car,” police said in a statement.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will lead the investigation into Rodriguez’s death, while the Tampa Police Department will conduct an internal investigation to determine whether the office followed proper procedures, the Times reported.

The officer, who has been with the Tampa Police Department for six months and has previous law enforcement experience, has been placed on leave, according to the newspaper.

A department spokesman was asked if there were any special guidelines for using a stun gun to stop a fleeing suspect.

“While no policy or guideline can anticipate every situation that sworn personnel may encounter, sworn personnel must consider environmental factors that could lead to serious injury before using an ECD,” the Times spokesperson told the Times.

WTVT reported that police were searching for the vehicle that struck Rodriguez.

The investigation is ongoing.