SARASOTA, Fla. — A man accused of holding a knife toward a police officer, which led to an officer firing their weapon Tuesday morning, is expected to be OK after being shot and undergoing surgery.
During a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche said 70-year-old Robert Briandi underwent surgery at Sarasota Memorial Hospital after he was injured by gunfire.
The incident leading to the shooting, which is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, started at approximately 10 a.m. when a 911 call came in about an attempted armed robbery.
Sarasota Police Captain Jonathan Todd explained that an 83-year-old woman was putting groceries into her car in a Publix parking lot when Briandi tried to steal her purse.
The elderly woman was threatened to be cut by the man, and it wasn't until a witness came to the woman's aid that Briandi ran away, according to Todd.
But it didn't stop there. The witness continued to follow the 71-year-old while on the phone with police and recording him. Todd said Briandi even threatened the man who was following him, saying he would cut him with the knife he was holding.
Eventually, Briandi continued walking until he was in the parking lot of a nearby hotel where he came into contact with a Sarasota police officer.
Body camera footage played at the news conference shows the officer arriving on scene where the 71-year-old man is holding a knife pointed outward. The officer can be heard multiple times telling Briandi to put the knife down – but he doesn't listen.
The officer eventually shoots at him.
Briandi was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where he had surgery after the shooting and is expected to be OK.
He's facing two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon without intent to kill and one count of robbery with a weapon.
The officer who shot Briandi, a 17-year veteran police officer, was placed on paid administrative leave which is a standard procedure for the agency, Todd explained.
"The [83-year-old woman] is shaken but is thankfully OK," Troche said.
The FDLE is continuing to investigate the shooting while the Sarasota Police Department is investigating the burglary.