TAMPA, Fla. — The man who authorities say shot at a Hillsborough County deputy eight times has been arrested.
Ma'at Lee, 20, was arrested on Tuesday following what Sheriff Chad Chronister called an "extremely violent crime spree."
The shooting happened around 4:46 a.m. on Sunday near the intersection of 43rd Street and Skipper Road.
According to the sheriff's office, Deputy Geovanny Rodriguez pulled over a silver Jeep Cherokee after seeing it did not have tags. Before he could get out of his car, investigators say the driver shot at Rodriguez at least eight times.
The deputy returned fire but was not able to capture the shooter, who drove away before abandoning the Jeep down the road, according to Chronister.
Rodriguez was not injured during the shooting but is currently on administrative leave.
Once the sheriff's office recovered the Jeep, investigators confirmed it had been stolen in a carjacking a few days prior. And through DNA testing, the sheriff's office identified Lee as the driver.
"Ma'at Lee may have outran us that early Sunday morning after he tried to kill one of our deputies to escape capture, but he couldn’t outrun technology and science," Chronister said Wednesday at a press conference.
Further investigation revealed that Lee had robbed someone at an apartment in the Brandon area earlier in the week, stealing credit cards and a firearm, according to the sheriff.
Soon after, Chronister said Lee carjacked someone's Jeep in the parking lot of a Dave & Buster's. He reportedly drove around in the Jeep for a few days before Deputy Rodriguez spotted it.
Chronister said Lee's "crime spree" actually began almost a week prior to these crimes when he robbed someone in Cobb County, Georgia.
The sheriff's office was ultimately able to make the arrest after Chronister said Lee used a mobile device to wire money from a credit card to himself.
"Let me assure you that this sheriff and this community will not tolerate anyone shooting at any of our law enforcement in this county," Chronister said.
"I will now, within every ounce of my body and my jurisdiction that I have, make sure that this individual will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Lee is facing charges of armed robbery with a firearm, grand theft, armed carjacking and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.