KEY WEST, Fla. — A Tennessee man wanted in connection with an armed robbery in Key West led deputies and troopers on a chase and shot at them Saturday afternoon, prompting authorities to return fire, Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Adam Linhardt said.
The chase began about 3:15 p.m. when a deputy spotted a car matching the description of a vehicle used in an earlier armed robbery in Key West traveling north on Stock Island.
Linhardt said the driver of the car ignored the deputy's attempts at a traffic stop and continued traveling north, with deputies and the Florida Highway Patrol in pursuit.
The car eventually came to a stop after tire spikes were set near mile marker 10 on Big Coppitt Key.
MORE FROM THE KEYS: Man hits neighbor in face with hammer | Man kicks chicken during argument with girlfriend
That's when the driver pulled out a gun and fired at deputies and troopers, who returned fire, Linhardt said.
The driver, later identified as Jullian Thomas, 24, was shot and airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.
Linhardt said the gun was found inside the car. He said no deputies or troopers were injured.
"The use of force in this case, like all cases of this nature, will be independently investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and reviewed by the state attorney," Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said. "That said, with the information I have at this point, this appears to be an appropriate use of force by the officers involved."
