# Deputy in Fla. fatally shoots Mexican motorist after chase



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

The Associated Press

WIMAUMA, Florida- A deputy fatally shot a motorist from Mexico who rammed two patrol cars and confronted the deputy with a knife, officials said.

Sergio Lopez-Flores, 31, was flown to Tampa General Hospital on Friday and pronounced dead a short time later, sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said Saturday.

Authorities said Flores was speeding when a deputy tried to wave him down. But Flores swerved toward the deputy as if to hit him and then sped away, Callaway said.

Flores rammed his truck into one patrol car and then turned his truck around and broadsided another patrol car, Callaway said. The impact flipped the second patrol car onto the median, he said. The deputy of the car was hospitalized with neck and back injuries.

Deputies said Flores climbed out of the truck and approached Deputy Darryl Bowden with a knife. When Flores ignored orders to put it down and kept approaching, Bowden shot him several times, Callaway said.

"He kept advancing on the deputy despite the deputy's repeated orders to stop," he said. "He was almost on top of the deputy when the shooting occurred."

Bowden, 50, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

Authorities do not believe the man was wanted on any arrest warrants and are still searching for a motive for his actions. An autopsy was scheduled

April Lopez, 33, told The Tampa Tribune that her husband was an illegal immigrant from Mexico and often used a pocketknife to clean his fingernails.

"He panicked," she said. "I think he was just trying to get out of the truck, that he was afraid he was going to get deported and was scared for me and his daughter."








_Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed._


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## MVS (Jul 2, 2003)

> April Lopez, 33, told The Tampa Tribune that her husband was an illegal immigrant from Mexico and often used a pocketknife to clean his fingernails.
> 
> "He panicked," she said. "I think he was just trying to get out of the truck, that he was afraid he was going to get deported and was scared for me and his daughter."


Goes right to the Immigration thread. I think it's safe to say if he was here legally and had a license, he might not have panicked about deportation.


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

It's refreshing to see that the number of illegal aliens is going down.


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2006)

"Motorist"......as if he was just peacefully driving along when gunned down by the police. Gotta love the media.


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## EOD1 (Mar 11, 2004)

how do you say "he never would have hurt anyone, he's a good hard working man and its not his fault, the police should have shot him in the leg or something" in spanish?


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## HousingCop (May 14, 2004)

I am sure the ambulance chasing lawyers are circeling this one. They smell blood. ...._"If the Border Patrol did their job correcly and detained & then deported my client as he crossed the Rio Grande, this never would have happened. We are suing the 4,500 Border Patrol Agents, Deputy Darryl Bowden, various FL counties, the state of FL and TX as well as CA and President Bush for this outrageous action." _stated Stew Bumm of the law firm Whee, Cheatem & Howe P.C.


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

EOD1 said:


> how do you say "he never would have hurt anyone, he's a good hard working man and its not his fault, the police should have shot him in the leg or something" in spanish?


"el neva hurtay uno. he be working good hombre. no faultay , el policia no bang-bang head but bang-bang leggo"

something like that...


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## j809 (Jul 5, 2002)

I wonder if he worked for Asplundh.


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