St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office releases body cam video of deputies shot at, connects violence to gang retaliation

TAYLOR HERNANDEZ. ALL TAYLOR. THANK YOU. A BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED SHOWING PORTIONS OF THE HAIL OF GUNFIRE IN PORT FORT PIERCE LAST NIGHT. IT WAS THE COUNTY DEPUTIES SAY SOMEBODY FIRED AT A DEPUTY’S VEHICLE. BUT AS STEVE KING TELLS US, INVESTIGATORS SAY DEPUTIES FIRED A SHOT BACK AT A MAN WHO WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE SHOOTING. STEVE STEVE. TYPICAL SHERIFF CAN MASCARA SAYS THAT WHILE THE DEPUTIES WERE LOOKING FOR THAT VEHICLE, PURSUING THAT VEHICLE THAT HAD SHOT AT THEM, THEY SAW A MAN RUNNING AWAY. AND AT THAT POINT, THE DEPUTIES TOLD THAT MAN TO TURN AROUND AND PUT HIS HANDS UP. THEY SAY THAT THE MAN DID NOT DO THAT AND THAT HE WAS HOLDING SOMETHING IN HIS HAND. AND AT THAT POINT, THE DEPUTIES FIRED A SHOT AT THE UNARMED MAN. IT TURNED OUT THAT THAT MAN WAS, AGAIN, ONLY HOLDING A CELL PHONE, WAS NOT ARMED. HE IMMEDIATELY LAID DOWN ON GROUND. HE WAS NOT HIT. NONE OF THE DEPUTIES HIT. AND THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS THEY DETERMINED MAN ALSO WAS RUNNING AWAY FROM THE SAME VEHICLE THAT FIRED THE SHOTS AT THE DEPUTY. NOW, THE SHERIFF SAYS THE REASON THIS ALL HAPPENED, CHAOS, A A CHAOTIC EVENT THAT CONTINUED UNFOLD WITH CHAOS. BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE SHOWS THE MOMENT SOMEONE IN VEHICLE SHOT AT DEPUTIES AND YOU CAN HEAR BULLETS WHIZZING BY THEM. SHERIFF KEN MASCARA SAYS DEPUTIES GOT OUT AND SAW SOMEONE RUNNING WHO THEY THOUGHT MAY HAVE BEEN THE SHOOTER. SO A DEPUTY SHOT AT THAT MAN AND MISSED. STOP RIGHT NOW. SO YOU HEARD THAT PERSON HAD A CELL PHONE IN THEIR HAND, WHICH IN THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT AND ALL THE CHAOS GOING ON RESEMBLED A GUN. AND WHEN THAT PERSON TURNED TOWARD DEPUTIES, THAT’S WHY THAT SHOT WAS FIRED. NO ONE WAS HURT. THE SHERIFF SAYS ALL STARTED WHEN THE PATROL UNIT WAS TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE VEHICLE, NOT PULL OVER AS PART OF AN OVERALL LARGER EFFORT TO REDUCE VIOLENT CRIME. WE WENT OUT ALL THIS MONTH WITH A TARGET OF PEOPLE AND VEHICLES THAT WE KNOW ON THE TREASURE IS BEHIND MOST OF THIS VIOLENCE. AND THAT’S WHEN DEPUTIES SPOTTED THE VEHICLE TURNING ONTO 17TH STREET LAST NIGHT BEFORE THE SHOTS RANG OUT. THE SHERIFF HAS NOT PROVIDED A DESCRIPTION OF THAT VEHICLE AS OF NOW, BUT SAYS DETECTIVES ARE MAKING PROGRESS IN THEIR INVESTIGATION. I WANT TO PROMISE THIS COMMUNITY WE’RE GOING TO FIND OUT WHO’S IN THAT CAR AND WHERE THAT CAR IS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, IF NOT SOONER. LAW ENFORCEMENT SAY THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 600 CALLS FOR SHOOTINGS IN SAINT COUNTY SINCE AUGUST AND THE OVERALL NUMBER OF SHOOTINGS IS HIGHER THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR. REALLY, THE GANGS ARE WHAT’S CAUSING. WE’VE JUST SEEN A REAL UPTICK OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS IN GANG ACTIVITY. THERE ARE A LOT OF GANGS. INVESTIGATORS SAY INCREASE IN SHOOTINGS ON THE TREASURE COAST COULD ALSO THE RESULT OF RETALIATIONS FOLLOWING A SEPTEMBER SHOOTING THAT LEFT A FORT PIERCE MAN DEAD IN INDIAN TOWN. BUT NOW THE SHERIFF SAYS THEY’LL CONTINUE TO GO AFTER THE PEOPLE THEY THINK ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF THE VIOLENCE. BUT THEY NEED THE COMMUNITY’S HELP. NOW, SHERIFF MASCARO SAYS UNLESS SOMEBODY COMES FORWARD, IT’S GOING TO BE TOUGH TO FIGURE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LAST NIGHT’S SHOOTING. AND ALL OF THE VIOLENCE THAT’S BEEN PLAGUING THE COMMUNITY. REPORTIN

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office released body camera footage of deputies being shot at during a traffic stop and discussed an increase in violence on the Treasure Coast on Thursday.During the news conference, deputies showed body camera footage of the department's response and the sheriff said bullets could be heard whizzing in the video."It was chaos," Sheriff Ken Mascara said during the news conference.In the headlines: Indian River, Osceola County deputies searching for man wanted for aggravated batteryMascara released a statement on Facebook Wednesday evening stating that officials were trying to conduct a traffic stop at about 6:45 p.m. in the 1200 block of North 17th Street when occupants inside the vehicle fired at deputies. "Thankfully, none of our deputies were injured," Mascara said.He noted that at least 13 rounds were fired in the neighborhood.Deputies said there was another person in the area who was walking with a cellphone that resembled a gun and who didn't stop when asked, causing officers to fire one shot at him. The incident was captured on the body camera video. “That person had a cellphone in their hand, which in the darkness of night and all the chaos going on, resembled a gun and when that person turned toward our deputies, that is why that shot was fired,” Mascara said. "The person immediately laid down and obeyed the deputies' commands and they approached him and that person said, ‘My God, I thought that car was shooting at me.’"Probably one of the most important lessons learned during this whole thing, when the police say, ‘Stop!’ You should stop and obey their commands instead of running and turning with a cellphone. This could have been a tragic event and much worse." But former FBI agent Stuart Kaplan analyzed the same footage and says a different lesson should have been learned. "Law enforcement has to be mindful that just as they may believe this individual has a weapon it can be just as likely if not more likely that it's not a weapon and it’s a cellphone," Kaplan said. However, he also recognized the situation the deputies were in."They believed the individual they were in pursuit of may be in possession of a weapon. Obviously, this chase is taking place late at night, obviously its low lighting conditions," Kaplan said. Mascara said the two deputies are on paid administrative leave per protocol and no one was injured during this incident.Video above: Bodycam video from the incident The suspect's vehicle's description will not be released as part of the investigation. The sheriff said the Treasure Coast law enforcement officials are noticing an increase in violence since the homicide of Johnny Green in September in Indiantown and commented that they are inferring there has since been retaliatory gang violence.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News"The whole Treasure Coast has a lot of gangs," Mascara said. The sheriff's office said there are between 10 and 50 gangs in the area, but what's unique now is the crossing of county lines.Mascara says detectives will continue to investigate the people they think are most responsible for the violence in the area, which is why deputies were attempting to identify the vehicle in Fort Pierce near 17th Street in the first place."We went out all this month with the targets of people and vehicles that we know on the Treasure Coast is behind all this violence,” Mascara said. “I don’t even think our detectives were going to pull (the suspect's vehicle) over. They just wanted to watch it because their goal was to identify and prevent shootings so they were trying to catch up to it, see what the tag was, which they never even got the opportunity to do that, and maybe if they had a reason to stop that vehicle, stop it, identify who was in it and what they were doing but they never got that opportunity."Mascara is urging anyone in the community with information to come forward as investigators work to find the people responsible for the recent violence in the community.Investigators say there has been an increase in shootings in St. Lucie County so far this year and there have been more than 600 shootings in the county since August.Video below: Previous coverage of the incident This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

FORT PIERCE, Fla. —

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office released body camera footage of deputies being shot at during a traffic stop and discussed an increase in violence on the Treasure Coast on Thursday.

During the news conference, deputies showed body camera footage of the department's response and the sheriff said bullets could be heard whizzing in the video.

"It was chaos," Sheriff Ken Mascara said during the news conference.

In the headlines: Indian River, Osceola County deputies searching for man wanted for aggravated battery

Mascara released a statement on Facebook Wednesday evening stating that officials were trying to conduct a traffic stop at about 6:45 p.m. in the 1200 block of North 17th Street when occupants inside the vehicle fired at deputies.

"Thankfully, none of our deputies were injured," Mascara said.

He noted that at least 13 rounds were fired in the neighborhood.

Deputies said there was another person in the area who was walking with a cellphone that resembled a gun and who didn't stop when asked, causing officers to fire one shot at him. The incident was captured on the body camera video.

“That person had a cellphone in their hand, which in the darkness of night and all the chaos going on, resembled a gun and when that person turned toward our deputies, that is why that shot was fired,” Mascara said. "The person immediately laid down and obeyed the deputies' commands and they approached him and that person said, ‘My God, I thought that car was shooting at me.’

"Probably one of the most important lessons learned during this whole thing, when the police say, ‘Stop!’ You should stop and obey their commands instead of running and turning with a cellphone. This could have been a tragic event and much worse."

But former FBI agent Stuart Kaplan analyzed the same footage and says a different lesson should have been learned.

"Law enforcement has to be mindful that just as they may believe this individual has a weapon it can be just as likely if not more likely that it's not a weapon and it’s a cellphone," Kaplan said.

However, he also recognized the situation the deputies were in.

"They believed the individual they were in pursuit of may be in possession of a weapon. Obviously, this chase is taking place late at night, obviously its low lighting conditions," Kaplan said.

Mascara said the two deputies are on paid administrative leave per protocol and no one was injured during this incident.

Video above: Bodycam video from the incident

The suspect's vehicle's description will not be released as part of the investigation.

The sheriff said the Treasure Coast law enforcement officials are noticing an increase in violence since the homicide of Johnny Green in September in Indiantown and commented that they are inferring there has since been retaliatory gang violence.

Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News

"The whole Treasure Coast has a lot of gangs," Mascara said.

The sheriff's office said there are between 10 and 50 gangs in the area, but what's unique now is the crossing of county lines.

Mascara says detectives will continue to investigate the people they think are most responsible for the violence in the area, which is why deputies were attempting to identify the vehicle in Fort Pierce near 17th Street in the first place.

"We went out all this month with the targets of people and vehicles that we know on the Treasure Coast is behind all this violence,” Mascara said. “I don’t even think our detectives were going to pull (the suspect's vehicle) over. They just wanted to watch it because their goal was to identify and prevent shootings so they were trying to catch up to it, see what the tag was, which they never even got the opportunity to do that, and maybe if they had a reason to stop that vehicle, stop it, identify who was in it and what they were doing but they never got that opportunity."

Mascara is urging anyone in the community with information to come forward as investigators work to find the people responsible for the recent violence in the community.

Investigators say there has been an increase in shootings in St. Lucie County so far this year and there have been more than 600 shootings in the county since August.

Video below: Previous coverage of the incident

This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office releases body cam video of deputies shot at, connects violence to gang retaliation

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