A Florida man is accused of recklessly mowing down two sheriff’s deputies, leaving them in critical condition, before being arrested on attempted murder charges.
Ralph Bouzy, 28, was sitting in his car near his home in Hillsborough, Florida, around 8 a.m. Thursday when he suddenly accelerated his car and crashed into Corporal Carlos Brito, 39, and Deputy Manuel Santos, 31, police said.
Bodycam footage released by Hillsborough County Sheriff Office shows the two officers standing in front of their marked patrol SUV and then trying to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.
The “ambush” occurred minutes after officers responded to a call from Bouzy’s mother, who reported that she was afraid of her son who was behaving violently at their home.
“There is no other way to describe this other than an ambush,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release. “Our deputies put their lives on the line every day to protect this community and what happened today absolutely sickens me.”
Ralph Bouzy, 28, recklessly mowed down two deputies, leaving them in critical condition before being arrested on attempted murder charges
The crash shattered the legs of the two officers, who immediately fell to the ground after the collision, while Bouzy walked ‘nonchalantly’ towards his house
Bouzy has previously been arrested for three felonies and 14 misdemeanors. He faces three counts of attempted murder and more charges are possible
Corporal Carlos Brito, 39, and Deputy Manuel Santos, 31, suffered “serious, critical injuries” and were sent to Tampa General Hospital for treatment
Brito, who joined the department in 2013, and Santos, who joined the department in 2019, suffered “serious, critical injuries” and were sent to Tampa General Hospital for treatment.
According to authorities, Bouzy has previously been arrested for three felonies and 14 misdemeanors. He faces three counts of attempted murder and more charges are possible.
The sheriff’s office received a call at 7:44 a.m. Thursday morning from a woman who said “she was afraid of her son, who was acting violently.”
Deputies arrived at their Brandon home on Dexwell Court and encountered Bouzy, who was sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle in the driveway of his home.
Bouzy declined to speak with deputies. He drove away, but later returned around 8 a.m., when he “intentionally ambushed deputies” and “violently collided” with them.
The crash shattered the legs of the two deputies, who immediately fell to the ground after the collision, authorities said.
“Corporal Carlos Brito suffered the most serious injuries between the two deputies. His leg may be amputated,” Chronister said.
Two other officers rushed to the scene and encountered Bouzy after he jumped out of his car and “casually” walked toward his home without obeying law enforcement orders.
“Taser taser taser,” an officer can be heard saying in the video. “Get down on the ground right now.”
Ultimately, a taser was used to disable Bouzy so he could be arrested.
Bouzy later returned around 8 a.m., when he “intentionally ambushed the deputies” and “violently clashed” with them
“Corporal Carlos Brito suffered the most serious injuries between the two deputies. His leg may be amputated,” Chronister said
Two other officers rushed to the scene and encountered Bouzy after he jumped out of his car and “casually” walked toward his home without obeying law enforcement orders.
Authorities described the incident as “deliberate and intentional.”
“There’s no other way to describe this than an ambush,” Chronister said. ‘Today he chose to use his car as a weapon. They had no chance to get out of the way.”
“Corporal Brito and Deputy Santos came to work today committed to making a difference in their community,” he added.
“Because of this man’s deliberate actions, their lives and the lives of their families have been changed forever.”
He said doctors are doing everything they can to help Brito.
“I can tell you that Corporal Brito’s injury was so serious that when he got out of the car, he got trapped between the two cars and was hit by this person,
‘That there was a piece of his femur in the cars. The surgeon asked when she had surgery, she asked for that bone,” Chronister said.
Representative Danny Alvarez visited the two deputies at the hospital shortly after they underwent surgeries.
“These are two men who left their house not knowing if they were going to come home, and they almost didn’t,” Alvarez said.
“I ended up talking to one of the gentlemen who was in a good mood,” Alvarez said. “It wasn’t easy, but I was just grateful that we were visiting people in their rooms and not going to a funeral.”