On Wednesday evening, a police chase in Lakeland, Florida, involving a 13-year-old male named Wesley Dalmas came to a dangerous halt shortly after the juvenile perpetrator shot his pursuer in the foot. The incident reportedly started when a police officer named Jamie Smith overheard a shootout at a local park. Upon spotting a Dodge Avenger that matched the description regarding a drive-by-shooting in the area, Officer Smith pursued the vehicle until three suspects named Jermaine Julian (19), Leonard Speight Jr. (14), and Wesley Dalmas (13) hopped out and made a run for it.
Officer Smith chased Wesly Dalmas into a residential establishment called the Carrington Place Apartments before the teenager pulled off a tactical maneuver once he rounded the corner. With Officer Smith in hot on his trail, Dalmas crouched down and waited for his pursuer to turn the corner before discharging his Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun three times. After being struck in the foot by a bullet, Officer Smith returned fire, hitting Dalmas in his leg and abdomen. The young shooter, who law enforcement later described as a "hardened criminal," was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he remains under the watch of the police.
“[Dalmas] has no regard for life. None. Zero,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd during a press conference regarding the matter. “He may be 13 years old chronologically, but he’s a hardened criminal willing to shoot it out with cops.” According to Judd, law officials are lobbying for Dalmas to be "Tried as an Adult" in court.
Shortly after the shootout, Officer Smith, he treated for the wound he sustained and later released. For more on this story, click the link below.
Source: NY Post
