TITUSVILLE, Fla. – A Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputy opened fire on a fleeing suspect Saturday night in the parking lot of one of Titusville's best-known restaurants, Local 6 news partner Florida Today reported.
The gunfire occurred about 9 p.m. at Dixie Crossroads on Garden Street. That's when 52-year-old Titusville resident Ronald Carr Murray Jr. — who was wanted on a warrant for criminal mischief — resisted arrest and jumped into a vehicle, said Deputy Maria Fernez, BCSO spokeswoman.
Murray's vehicle dragged a deputy several feet across the parking lot, Fernez said. The deputy opened fire at the vehicle. The bullets did not hit anybody, she said.
A vehicle chase ensued, with Titusville police joining in. Murray was arrested when he returned to his home on Talmadge Drive, a short residential street west of Whispering Hills Golf Estates.
Murray was charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding, and resisting arrest with violence. His bond was set at $200,000 Sunday, Fernez said.
His warrant stemmed from a September arrest, when Titusville police charged him with criminal mischief valued at $200 or less, clerk of courts records show. The warrant was issued in October after he failed to attend a court arraignment.
Fernez did not identify the deputy who opened fire, nor did she disclose how many shots were fired.