HAINES CITY, Fla. — A Haines City police officer shot a 17-year-old boy when he reached for his gun following a car chase late Friday night, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Around 7 p.m., officers spotted a 2014 Nissan Versa that had been stolen in the last 24 hours, Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck said at a news conference Friday.
They followed the car and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver kept going, eventually hitting another car near Highway 27 and Polk City Road, according to the police chief.
Once the chase continued into a populated area, officers ended the pursuit to avoid harming the public. However, Goreck said, the car continued down Highway 27.
After receiving a previous call for backup, another Haines City officer was parked on the side of Highway 27 ready to deploy stop sticks. But before they could be deployed, the driver reportedly veered off the road and over the stop sticks.
The police chief says the car continued north on Highway 27 and hit another car. The car only came to a rest on the shoulder of the road once officers completed a PIT maneuver.
That's when, according to Goreck, the passenger, a 17-year-old boy, got out of the car and reached for a 9mm handgun.
“My officer was forced to engage in a deadly encounter with the suspect and had to fire his firearm," Goreck said.
The teen was shot, which immobilized him. He was transported to a local hospital to undergo emergency surgery. He remains in critical condition.
The driver, 19-year-old Victor Espinoza-Rodriguez, was also arrested.
“They should be just kids," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at the news conference. “But that's not what you have here.”
Judd said Espinoza-Rodriguez has "gang-related tattoos" and multiple previous charges, including 11 felonies, six misdemeanors and three violations of probation.
"He's a bad guy," Judd said.
The 17-year-old also reportedly has a criminal record, with four misdemeanors, a felony and five violations of probation.
He has "no inclination to obey the law," Judd said.
“The officer didn’t choose to shoot these folks or shoot at them. They chose for the officer to shoot and that's exactly what happened," the sheriff added.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office will be leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.