UPDATE: The suspect in the Stuart deputy-involved shooting has been identified as 23-year-old Horace Edmond Brown of Riviera Beach, officials say.
Sheriff William Snyder says Brown has a criminal history including eight felony charges. He has been arrested and charged with at least an additional six felony charges including aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and four counts of aggravated battery.
Detectives are still waiting to serve a search warrant on Brown's car and say he could still be facing more charges.
EARLIER STORY:
There was a Martin County Sheriff's Office deputy-involved shooting along Lost River Road near Kanner Highway and I-95 Tuesday afternoon.
At a late-afternoon news conference Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said the shooting happened on the east side of a Marriott hotel during a felony narcotics investigation.
Snyder said his undercover narcotics detectives had arranged a planned drug-buy, expecting to find Brown with a street value of $1,000 worth of crack cocaine and Oxymorphone.
When detectives moved in to arrest Brown, they say he tried to drive away, crashing into at least two law enforcement vehicles before driving toward a detective.
"The subject, rather than cooperate with law enforcement at the time of the arrest, chose instead to ram his vehicle into several of our vehicles, drove at one of our deputies, is what it appears to be now, and they did open fire on him in what initially does appear to be an act of self defense," said Sheriff Snyder.
After the shooting the suspect tried to get away and ran toward a nearby McDonald's. He was captured and air-lifted to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center.
Officials said later that the suspect was shot twice in the upper torso and is at Lawnwood-Regional Medical Center in stable condition. He is expected to survive.
No deputies were seriously injured. Snyder says the undercover narcotics detectives involved in the shooting are veterans with the sheriff's office.
They will likely not be put on leave because the shooting victim is expected to survive his injuries.
The sheriff says there were several witnesses and he believes there could be surveillance video of the encounter.
Snyder says this arrest should show that Martin County is cracking down on drug sales and use in the county.
“We have had dozens and dozens of overdoses, many of those resulting in deaths and we have sent a message that we plan to continue pushing back against the sales of Oxymorphones and Heroin and such," Snyder said.
Photo of suspect shot by Martin county deputies @WPTV pic.twitter.com/hrWImFKmmG
— Meghan McRoberts (@MeghanWPTV) January 25, 2017
Suspect vehicle has lights on. @MartinFLSheriff says suspect rammed at least 2 of his vehicles. @WPTV pic.twitter.com/z3RSimwYBG
— Jon Shainman (@JonShainman) January 24, 2017
.@MartinFLSheriff says large narcotics deal was taking place before shooting. Suspect rammed several MCSO vehicles. pic.twitter.com/rsK6mc72Un
— Jon Shainman (@JonShainman) January 24, 2017
Second scene across Lost River in motel parking lot. pic.twitter.com/KyYcOolmTi
— Jon Shainman (@JonShainman) January 24, 2017
BREAKING NEWS @MartinFLSheriff deputies involved in shooting at McDonalds near 95 and Kanner Hwy Suspect taken to Hospital @WPTV pic.twitter.com/CHeDyjxpEp
— EricP_WPTV (@EricPasquarelli) January 24, 2017
