A driver wanting to “kill as many people as possible” rammed his car through the doors of a Florida jail, then began pouring oil everywhere in an attempt to set the lobby ablaze, according to investigators.
That fire did not happen, due to deputies wielding tasers, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office reports.
The 40-year-old man was subdued late Monday, June 3, and taken to a hospital, the sheriff’s office said at a news conference posted June 4 on YouTube by WPEC.
The man was “extremely amped up,” wearing only a woman’s blouse, and tossed rubber snakes as he exited the car, Martin County Chief Deputy John Budensiek said. The jail is in Stuart, about a 100-mile drive north from Miami.
“There was no amount of talking that calmed him down,” Budensiek said.
“Only force, the use of a taser, put him in check. ... He was uncontrollable throughout the entire process regardless of who talked to him: the nurse, doctor or deputy.”
He faces four counts of aggravated assault and more charges are likely, officials said. The four counts are for each of the deputies who were in that part of the building at the time of the crash. No staff or civilians were in the lobby when the vehicle crashed through the doors, officials said.
Investigators say the man told deputies his intent was to kill as many people as possible, and his plan included recording the mayhem with a cell phone that was set on record and thrown to the lobby floor, officials said.
Investigators suspect he was under the influence of narcotics that were powerful enough to make him resistant to multiple doses of sedatives, officials said.
He lives in Martin County, but is transient, officials said. He was living out of the car that crashed.
The man did not make suicidal statements but spoke at length about his “hatred” for former President Donald Trump, officials said.
“He risked (deputies’) lives,” Budensiek said. “They had no idea a car was coming, barreling down this sidewalk, and if they were standing just behind this door it could have ... taken their lives.
“We’re dealing with more and more people that are not stable on a daily basis, so this is just another reminder of how dangerous our job really is,” he said.
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