VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Deltona man is in custody after he shot at deputies during a standoff that lasted for hours Wednesday morning, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The man is accused of stealing from a store, shooting at Volusia County deputies and then setting his own house on fire.
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The man drove his vehicle to his home on Whitehorse Court in Deltona where he was held deputies at bay for hours.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said his deputies had the equipment they needed to protect themselves.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office released bodycam video of what unfolded:
(Warning intense video. Contains expletives)
Deputies said the man stole cigarettes from a Wawa gas station around 4:30 a.m. and then drove off in his truck.
Deputies chased him back to his home.
That’s when deputies say they commanded him to get out of his truck, he refused, so they approached with their shields up.
The man then shot at them and grazed one of the deputies in the face.
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“When they go to approach, thank God they have their shield with them,” said the Sheriff pointing to the shield damaged by a bullet. “My sergeant would have taken a shot to the head.
SWAT units used heavy machines to push his truck into the home’s garage and the man started a fire that spread to the entire home, according to the sheriff’s office.
“I’ll start off by saying this. I’ve seen a lot of crazy [expletive] in 36 years. This was absolutely the craziest,” Chitwood said.
Crews were able to evacuate Hadley’s son and a dog from inside the home.
Chitwood said the suspect told deputies he’d fight them and not surrender.
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Frightened neighbors watching the whole thing playout.
“I was shocked,” said one neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous.” they’re a quiet family, we’ve never had any issues with them. He works every day.”
After hours of trying to convince Hadley to surrender, SWAT teams were used a Bearcat to knock down a balcony as he walked on to it.
He was taken into custody and treated for burns and injuries from a k-9 unit.
He was then taken to a hospital and charged with 3 counts of attempted murder of law enforcement officer, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, and petit retail theft.
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