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A Florida man, wielding a machete was fatally shot by county deputies on Thursday, following an altercation with his sister, authorities said.
Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s office responded to an apartment on Freedom Drive in the unincorporated community of Frostproof around 9:00 p.m., according to a press release.
Yoel Arnaldo Mejia Santel, 28, has a long rap sheet, including battery domestic violence, burglary, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property, among other offenses. (PCSO)
A woman at the scene told deputies that her brother, 28-year-old Yoel Arnaldo Mejia Santel, “was paranoid and likely schizophrenic.” She said Mejia Santel had taken her phone, broken the screen, and that she had broken a fingernail. She told deputies that her brother said the cops would have to shoot him because he’d have a machete.
Deputies found Mejia Santel standing in the doorway obscuring his right hand. Mejia Santel refused the deputies’ commands to show his hands, grabbed a machete, and ran to a bathroom inside the apartment.
The deputies followed Mejia Santel inside and smelled a “strong odor of gasoline.” When they demanded he come out from the bathroom he reportedly told them: “Did you smell that gas? I poured gas everywhere.”
DRAMATIC RESCUE BY DALLAS COPS AFTER VEHICLE PLUNGES INTO LAKE CAUGHT ON BODY CAMERA
The Deputies, believing Mejia Santel had a lighter, used a chemical agent to coax him from the bathroom. After engaging with Mejia Santel for around 45 minutes, he raised the machete over his head and charged the deputies, according to the sheriff’s office.
The deputies, fearing for their own safety, fired at Mejia Santel. They attempted life-saving measures and called the Polk County Fire Rescue who continued those efforts, but Mejia Santel died at the scene.
“There is no doubt, Law Enforcement is a dangerous job," Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference. "When deputies respond to a family disturbance, they do everything they can to de-escalate the situation and bring about a peaceful conclusion. Unfortunately, Santel put them in a position where they had to protect themselves and those around them.”
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The deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave while an investigation is underway.
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