A Florida police officer is recovering from his gunshot wounds on Wednesday after being shot by a suspect at a Circle K gas station, cops said.
Officials said the suspect, identified as Calvin Brockington, 24, was taken into custody. Detectives said the suspect led them on a wild chase before he was finally subdued.
Pinellas Park officers said they responded to the gas station on Ulmerton Road around 10 p.m. after a woman called to report that she had locked herself inside a bathroom at the gas station because her boyfriend, Brockington, was threatening to kill her.
Officer Jacob Derr was the first to arrive at the scene. According to investigators, Brockington shot officer Jacob in the right arm as soon he attempted to make contact with him. A second officer, KC Gavin, soon arrived on the scene and was also shot at when she attempted to confront the suspect, according to the arrest report.
Gavin fired back at the suspect but neither of them was hit. Brockington then carjacked an individual in the parking lot at gunpoint and drove off down Ulmerton Road with Pinellas County deputies following closely behind.
“There were some deputy sheriffs that were out there on Ulmerton that saw him,” explained Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.” At that point, he turned around…and he got up on Interstate 275. At that point, our helicopter was up. We had a crane. I definitely was in the area. Other law enforcement officers were in the area, followed him on until he actually hit the interstate. He got down into the area in St. Petersburg. Deputies rammed his car, disabled him, and were able to take him into custody.”
Brockington, who is facing life in prison, has a long rap sheet of previous convictions in Pinellas County, including kidnapping someone under the age of 13 and grand theft of a motor vehicle last June.
Now, he is facing multiple charges including two counts of attempted murder of a police officer.
Officer Derr was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery and officials said he is expected to make a full recovery.
