A single shot from a SWAT team member killed a murder suspect, who was barricaded inside a shed in Hillsborough County while holding his girlfriend hostage. Hillsborough deputies responded to the property after the suspect called his friend to help him “dispose of some trash.” It turned out the trash was a human body, according to deputies.
The 9.5-hour stand-off, which took place in a busy strip of State Road 674, forced the roadway to be shut down on Wednesday morning. Speaking at a press conference, Sheriff Chad Chronister identified the suspect as 42-year-old Juan Sarmiento.
When Sarmiento’s friend arrived and noticed the body in the backseat of a vehicle, he phoned 911, the sheriff said.
“For obvious reasons, he made an excuse about why he had to leave and did the right thing and called us,” Chronister said. “We saved a hostage because of it.”
Two deputies soon arrived at the scene and overheard the voices of a man and woman inside a small shed.
“They bang on the door, ask the subjects to come out, and were met with a lot of profanity, telling the deputies to back off, that he had a hostage,” Chronister said, adding that the man, later identified as Sarmiento, told deputies he was armed.
The deputies retreated and waited for SWAT team members and crisis negotiators to arrive. Sarmiento became more “erratic” over the course of those nine hours, the sheriff said.
“He became even more hostile. He was talking about, “I promise I will die here today. I’m not coming out, and I’m not letting the hostage out,'” Chronister described.
At one point, Sarmiento revealed himself behind the shed’s window and one of the SWAT team members fired a single shot, striking the suspect, the sheriff said. The SWAT team subsequently entered and removed the girlfriend.
SWAT medics began providing life-saving measures, officials said, until Sarmiento was taken to South Bay Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Chronister said investigators have yet to identify the murder victim and determine his/her relationship with Sarmiento. The sheriff added that the suspect had previous run-ins with law enforcement, adding that Sarmiento has been arrested on eight previous felony charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
“This is a good community. Wimauma has become a very good community,” Chronister said. “This was a surprise to us. The individual involved wasn’t. He’s not a person who is new to violence.”
The female hostage rescued by first responders has not been identified. It’s unclear what, if anything, she knew about the murder, but Sheriff Chronister explained detectives believe she knew the victim well.
“The new-found girlfriend stayed at this same residence on and off as our victim of our homicide, so we know there’s a relationship there. I just can’t say unequivocally what it is at this point,” said Chronister.
Sheriff Chronister also noted the woman and Sarmiento had only recently begun dating. The 5600 block of SR-674 has reopened to traffic.
