‘Ambush’ Puts 2 Florida Sheriff’s Deputies in Hospital With Serious Injuries

Hillsborough County Sheriff investigators on the scene of an incident where two of their own deputies were seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle while on a call for service, in Brandon, Fla., on Nov. 9, 2023. Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP

Two Florida deputies are recovering in hospital after an early morning house call turned into an ambush.

It was around 8 a.m. on Nov. 9 when Corporal Carlos Brito (39) and Deputy Manuel Santos (31) of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) arrived at the home of a mother in distress.

The law enforcement office said its seasoned first responders arrived at a house in Brandon, Florida—a suburb southeast of Tampa—to assist a woman who said her son was behaving violently.

The officers pulled up to find 28-year-old Ralph Bouzy sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle in the driveway. They said he refused to speak with them when approached and drove off.

Mr. Bouzy returned to the house and is accused of nearly hitting one of the officers standing near the patrol SUV.

Camera footage released by the HSCO showed him then colliding with the deputies’ patrol SUV, sandwiching the officers in the process and leaving them screaming on the ground.

Getting out of the car after the collision, Mr. Bouzy can be seen on released body camera footage, ignoring commands and approaching one of two other deputies at the scene. They used Tasers on him before taking him into custody.

He is now charged with three counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

Mr. Brito has been with the HSCO since 2013, and Mr. Santos joined in 2019.

Both deputies were seriously injured in the incident and taken to Tampa General Hospital.

HSCO’s public affairs office confirmed to The Epoch Times on Nov. 10 that the officers were still in the hospital, receiving medical care and recovering from their injuries, but were “okay.”

However, the spokeswoman was unable to provide specific details on their exact conditions.

“There is no other way to describe this other than an ambush,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister on Nov. 9.

“Our deputies put their lives on the line every day to protect this community and what happened today makes me absolutely sick.”

Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis has touted his support for law enforcement throughout his terms in Tallahassee and his presidential campaign, earning the endorsement of 60 state sheriffs, including that of Sheriff Chronister.

Mr. DeSantis shared HCSO’s released footage of the incident on X (formerly Twitter), saying: “@CaseyDeSantis and I are praying for the deputies who were seriously injured during this ambush in Brandon.

“We don’t tolerate attacks on our law enforcement officers in Florida.”