WPB Man Arrested After Deputies Faced Gunfire In Confrontation
WEST PALM BEACH (CBS4) – Police arrested and charged a West Palm Beach man with two counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer after he fired at two officers.
Palm Beach Sheriff's Officer spokesperson Teri Barbera said 22-year-old Michael Patterson "clearly knew we were law enforcement" before he shot at two PBSO detectives Thursday night.
After investigating the shooting, police arrested Patterson Friday after Task Force officials observed Patterson and three other men coming out of an apartment in Tiffany Lakes before getting into a Mitsubishi Gallant.
Police attempted to stop the car but the men fled east then made an abrupt stop in the middle of 45th Street and bailed out of the vehicle on foot.
Police pursed the men on foot and arrested them. In total, four men were arrested, including Charles Norris, Dominic Rodriguez and Ricky Booth, who was the driver of the car. But only Patterson was charged attempted murder in Thursday night's shooting.
Police said that on Thursday two PBSO detectives were in an unmarked PBSO vehicle working on an unrelated robbery case when the two men spotted them working on a laptop inside their vehicle.
They noticed the suspicious car in front of the Stop N' Go located at the intersection of Drexel Road and Belvedere Road.
Approximately 30 minutes later the same vehicle, a 1999 tan Lincoln Continental, was observed traveling on Belvedere Road.
While traveling side streets north of Belvedere Road, the suspect's vehicle began to follow the detectives, PBSO said.
The detectives drove away and noticed the car was following them before the detectives turned and parked on Wynnedale Circle, facing west.
The suspect's vehicle traveled north on Wynnedale Road and stopped at the intersection. The front right passenger raised a weapon, believed to be a rifle, and fired twice at the detectives.
One of the bullets went through the windshield and exited out the passenger rear window.
The detectives were unharmed and did not return gunfire.
A perimeter was established and through a citizen's call. The suspect's vehicle was discovered abandoned in the 1400 block of Meadowbrook Lane in West Palm Beach, Barbera said.
