One person is hospitalized and another is in custody after an officer-involved shooting early Monday morning in West Palm Beach.
Police had an area near Palmetto Park at Nathan Hale Road and Parker Avenue roped off overnight.
Chief Sarah Mooney said around midnight officers were called to the area after there was a call about a suspicious vehicle and unwanted guests.
Mooney said the officers arrived and approached the vehicle, and the people inside were not compliant with police, putting their vehicle in reverse and ramming a patrol car. They also rammed a backup officer's car at the scene, causing a female officer to dive out of the way to escape injury.
The suspects then drove forward and hit the first officer's car again.
“As the people inside the car realized that the police were approaching them, they rammed the police car in reverse and ran into the backup officer's car and then put the car in drive and then crashed into the other officer's car,” said Mooney.
Officers had spoken with the suspects in the car, then the driver drove forward toward the officers, which prompted police to shoot at the car.
The driver sustained several gunshot wounds and was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police identified him as 20-year-old Leonardo Anthony Matos. He's facing two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer and two counts of felony criminal mischief. They said he has a prior record for several drug-related offenses.
Police identified his passenger as 18-year-old Samantha Freeman.
A gun was recovered from the driver's car.
"I heard six gunshots in very rapid succession and a few minutes later heard and saw sirens from all directions," said resident Jennifer Frank, who lives nearby.
The State Attorney’s Office was called to the scene. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the case.
Officer Tom Janis and Officer Kimberly Garcia were involved in the incident, police said.
The officers are on paid administrative leave.
