POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Polk County deputy was stabbed in the head Sunday while responding to a call from an elderly woman who claimed her son tried to smother her.
Deputies responded to the call on Oakcrest Court in the Providence subdivision after the woman reportedly told dispatchers she woke up to her son repeatedly pressing a pillow on her face while she was napping. Deputies said she was able to escape from the house and call from a safe location.
By the time deputies arrived, the man, who has yet to be identified, had barricaded himself in an upstairs bathroom. Three responding deputies ordered the man to come out with his hands up, but he refused, authorities said.
A press release from the sheriff’s office stated the deputies entered the bathroom when the man charged them with a large knife, stabbing one deputy on the top of his head.
One deputy fired his Taser but it was ineffective against the man who continued to fight with the knife. In fear for their lives, deputies shot and killed the man, the press release added.
The deputy who was stabbed in the head was transported to a local hospital where he is said to receive stitches. He is expected to make a full recovery. No other deputies were injured.
The sheriff’s office said the man was a registered felon and on probation at the time of the incident. He allegedly has a criminal history in Virginia.
More information is expected to be released on Monday, Jan. 24.
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