PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office on Friday identified an armed man who was shot and killed by a deputy one day prior.
Benoit Pasteur, 38, pointed a rifle at a deputy in a shopping plaza at Hypoluxo Road and Military Trail near Boynton Beach at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
The deputy was forced to shoot Pasteur at least once, killing him, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference.
Before his encounter with the deputy, Pasteur was threatening people at the plaza and also tried to carjack a woman with a child inside a vehicle, Bradshaw said.
"Bottom line is the deputy did everything he could to de-escalate the situation," Bradshaw said. "You have a dangerous individual here that was threatening people in a violent manner out here on the street. Tried to carjack a lady with a young child inside the car. Very much a danger to the public."
The deputy has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol when a law enforcement officer discharges his or her weapon.
Pasteur has a criminal record mostly consisting of misdemeanor and traffic charges.
According to Palm Beach County court records, Pasteur was charged in 2020 with two felonies: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and throwing a deadly missile.
Affidavits tied to the case state Pasteur threw a brick through a sliding glass door at his uncle's house because he wasn't allowed inside. The charging documents go on to say that Pasteur admitted to throwing the brick and made a jerking motion while he was in handcuffs, resulting in a resisting without violence charge.
Pasteur was sentenced to 212 days in jail for those charges.