POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The two Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies who were shot by a suspect back in April were released from the hospital Monday, according to authorities.
Lt. Chad Anderson was shot once in the arm, which went into his chest. The bullet was lodged between his heart and spinal column, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Anderson had two emergency surgeries in the hospital.
Deputy Craig Smith was shot two times and spent time in intensive care.
Judd explained during a media briefing two days after the shooting that there had been some burglaries in the area of Hunt Fountain Park in North Lakeland, so the Sheriff's Office subsequently increased its presence there.
The park closes at 10 p.m., and one deputy in the area noticed a vehicle there at about 12:22 a.m. on April 27.
Judd said that when the deputy approached the man, later identified as 26-year-old Kmac El Bey, in the vehicle, he wouldn't cooperate with the deputy or get out of the car. The deputy then called for backup.
Anderson and Smith arrived, making it a total of four deputies, two trainees, and a K9 deputy at the scene.
According to Judd, as deputies tried to coax El Bey from the vehicle, the vehicle started "rolling."
Judd said deputies then grabbed the window of the car, and El Bey began shooting. Anderson and backup deputies returned fire.
"We shot and killed him," Judd said.
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Officials said El Bey was homeless and a sovereign citizen.
"He (El Bey) was Moorish and Moorish sovereign citizens are known to believe that federal law, state law, local law does not apply to them," Judd said. "They are known to resist law enforcement."
The sheriff said the deputies have "long roads to recovery" in a post to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
Polk County Sheriff's Office has set up an official donation page to help the injured deputies with expenses.
When debris from a tractor struck their vehicle on I-75, Denise and Mike Brennan were told by a state contractor that "they will take care of it." Now, more than six months later, the Brennans are still $7000 out-of-pocket for repairs and rentals.
