Riviera man shot by narcotics detectives
A 23-year-old Riviera Beach man was shot twice by Martin County Sheriff ’s Office undercover narcotics detectives Tuesday afternoon during a confrontation in a Stuart hotel parking lot.
Horace Edmond Brown was shot two times in the upper torso as he rammed his vehicle into sheriff ’s cars and accelerated toward deputies on foot as he tried to elude capture, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said. Brown got out and ran after crashing multiple times, the sheriff said, but was apprehended in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant on Lost River Road, near Kanner Highway and Interstate 95.
Brown was transported to the trauma center at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce, where he was listed in stable condition. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, Snyder said.
Snyder said he has asked the FBI to monitor the investigation by the sheriff ’s office and the Martin County State Attorney’s Office.
It appeared that the deputies acted in self-defense, Snyder said.
“This was one of those cases where he just absolutely was not going to cooperate,” he said. “Nothing they did could get him to stop.”
Brown is facing multiple charges, including fleeing and eluding, four counts of aggravated battery on a law-enforcement officer and one count of the attempted sale of cocaine and hydromorphone. He could face more charges as detectives were awaiting a search warrant late Tuesday
The scene unfolded at about 4 p.m. in a busy area west of Stuart, near the Courtyard by Marriott hotel and Cracker Barrel restaurant, a short distance from I-95. Snyder said narcotics detectives had opened a case against Brown and determined through investigative leads that he would be at that location with the intent to sell narcotics. There was evidence that Brown had begun traveling to Martin County to deal drugs, Snyder said.
In the last several months, and in the wake of several drug overdose incidents within the past year, Martin County investigators have conducted multiple operations aimed at arresting suspected drug dealers and distributors.
Brown crashed into a least three sheriff ’s vehicles as he tried to flee, Snyder said. Two deputies fired shots. The deputies will be eligible to return to duty as soon as they are ready, Snyder said. It was not clear how many deputies were involved, but Snyder said there were enough to attempt a safe take down. Brown did not have a weapon on him when deputies took him into custody, Snyder said.