LAKE WALES, Fla. – A man was shot 13 times after pulling a gun on a Polk County deputy during a traffic stop near Lake Wales on Monday, Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Judd said that Deputy Clint Wofford clocked a motorcycle driving 112 mph on State Road 60 around 6:30 p.m.
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Wofford followed the motorcycle as it slowed down and then stopped on the east shoulder of Glen St. Mary Road, at which point the driver, Quentin Louis Case, 34, dropped the motorcycle in the sand, deputies said.
Case pulled a gun from his waist as Wofford was approaching and Judd said a "gunfight ensued." Case shot at the deputy and the deputy shot back, forcing Case to retreat into the nearby orange grove.
As Wofford stayed out of his view, Case emerged from the wooded area, shot at the deputy, got into the driver's seat of the patrol car and tried to get it into gear, according to a news release.
When Case couldn't get the car into gear, he got back on his motorcycle and tried to flee but lost control and fell in the sand. Wofford went back to his patrol car during this time and retrieved his rifle from the trunk. He made commands for Case to put his hands up, but the suspect did not comply.
Deputy Clayton Coquyt arrived on the scene as backup with his department-issued Glock .40-caliber handgun and his ballistics shield drawn.
The deputies approached Case, who was about 45 yards away, and continually told him to put his hands up. Case picked up his handgun and began to point it toward the deputies, forcing them to fire.
Judd said Case was shot 13 times in the gun battle. Deputy Clint Wofford fired 42 rounds from his handgun and eight times from his rifle, and Coquyt fired his gun twice. Judd said Case fired his weapon between four and seven times.
"It was intense, it was incredibly intense. Normally shootouts last seconds ... this thing went on for a while," Judd said.
The deputies were not injured, but the patrol car was shot.
Judd said that Case had an active warrant for violation of probation and had an extensive criminal history, including eight felony arrests and 18 misdemeanor charges.
"We know he's dangerous and he's violent, and he proved that last night," Judd said Tuesday morning.
Wofford, 27, has worked for the Polk County Sheriff's Office for two years. He was transferred to the traffic unit on May 29. Coquyt, 25, has worked as a patrol deputy since June 2015. Both have been placed on administrative leave while an investigation into the shooting takes place.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.