** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
An Apopka man faces charges of Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer after fleeing a traffic stop Saturday morning and dragging a Seminole County Deputy with his vehicle. Saturday morning, near the intersection of County Road 46A and Interstate 4, Deputy Aaron Blais pulled over 38-year-old Rocky M. Rudolph, Jr. on suspicion of having illegal window tint on his SUV. During the process of questioning the motorist, Deputy Blais smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
Rudolph became irate as Deputy Blais was further questioning him about the suspected marijuana. Deputy Blais then drew his service weapon as Rudolph was ignoring commands to show his hands, while also trying to prevent the suspect from placing the vehicle in drive. At that time, Rudolph drove off with Deputy Blais hanging on to the window while reaching for the weapon.
Deputy Blais continued to order Rudolph to stop the vehicle and show his hands. Rudolph temporarily stopped the vehicle, but continued to ignore the commands to show his hands and to put his vehicle in park. Rudolph again repeatedly reached for the deputy’s gun while again accelerating on to the I-4 west-bound on-ramp into traffic, further endangering his life. Deputy Blais then fired his service weapon in an attempt to avoid being seriously injured or killed. After approximately 200 yards, the vehicle veered to the right, and Deputy Blais was thrown to the ground.
Blais was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and later released. Rudolph abandoned the SUV and ran from the area. After an hours-long search involving multiple jurisdictions, he was located in a vehicle driven by a family member and taken into custody. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. Rudolph was transported to a local hospital where he remained as of Sunday morning. Upon release, he will be booked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility on multiple charges including Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer.
Inside the suspect’s SUV, investigators located a handgun reported stolen out of Seminole County in 2016. “This was a very dangerous situation. Our deputy’s life was put at risk by a career criminal who had no regard for his well-being,” said Sheriff Dennis Lemma. “I applaud Deputy Blais’s professionalism and dedication to duty.” The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the officer-involved shooting.
Poster Comment:
The video is cued up to start playing at 08:23, just as the action starts. Man, that deputy went all out.
he was located in a vehicle driven by a family member and taken into custody.
Kind of sounds like they were a little clan known to the local cops already.
I was laughing over how the perp was whining and crying like a little bitch before he tried to flee. Exactly how did he think that any of that was going to end well for him?
OTOH, with a gun in the vehicle and a criminal record, he might have thought he had nothing to lose in the state of Florida. An extra 10 years in prison is about what it'll cost him to have resisted arrest to that extent. He'll get something like an extra month in prison for every minute he evaded a lawful arrest.
From the YouBoob comments: "According to WFTV, Rudolph Jr. has 15 felony convictions, eight misdemeanor convictions, 32 felony charges, and 22 misdemeanor charges."
