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Report details pursuit, shooting in St. Lucie County

Posted at 11:56 PM, Nov 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-20 06:05:07-05

The public now knows the names of some of the deputies who tried to pull over and stop three men who sped away from a traffic stop and shot at deputies as they tried to escape on Friday.

In an arrest affidavit, St. Lucie County investigators said Deputy Matthew Ellison tried to pull over a car with three people inside. He said the passengers were not wearing their seat belts and the car had an unassigned tag.

The driver, later identified as Eduardo Ramirez, wouldn’t stop. Instead, investigators said he slowed down briefly before taking off. Ellison said a passenger in the backseat reached a semi-automatic gun out the window and started shooting at his car, disabling it.

Ellison said the shooter was wearing a mask, dark gloves and a ballistic vest.

The suspect vehicle gained distance but was under surveillance from the air.

Then, Deputy Jose Angulo caught up to the vehicle and tried to get it to stop. A backseat passenger opened fire on Angulo, too, with Angulo returning fire.

A third law enforcement officer rammed into the suspect car, bringing the chase to an end.

The affidavit said Jose Nava was wearing the ballistic gear in the backseat. Ramirez, Nava and a minor in the car were all arrested.

Angulo was taken to the hospital with bullet fragments in his hand.

Ramirez was also hospitalized with a head injury.

Ramirez and Nava both face charges of attempted murder of four law enforcement officers.