Latest news with #SheriffJohnMina
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Orange County deputy shoots, kills ‘schizophrenic' man armed with knife, sheriff says in wake of earlier shooting
An Orange County deputy sheriff fatally shot a 'schizophrenic' man who tried to stab him Saturday afternoon just hours after another deputy shot and injured a man attacking him outside a discount store, according to Sheriff John Mina. Around 3:30 p.m. deputies responded to a house in the 200 block of North Ortman Drive regarding a 911 call about a 'schizophrenic man who was reportedly not taking his medication and acting erratically … breaking plates in the street,' Mina said during a news conference a few hours after the incident. When deputies arrived they met with the man's father, who was 'very calm,' and he told them his adult son was in the bedroom with a knife, he said. Mina did not provide any personal details about the man who was killed. 'Our deputies were in the hallway for about five minutes trying to speak with the man when the man suddenly exited the bedroom with a knife and within one second tried to stab one of our deputies,' he said. 'He then grabbed the deputy's gun and tried to stab the deputy again. 'It's at that point our deputy used his service weapon, striking the man several times.' Deputies rendered first aid until paramedics arrived and transported him to a hospital where he later died, Mina said. The deputy was also taken to a hospital where he was treated for lacerations on the back of his head. He said the deputy likely was injured when he fell backward into a bathtub while the man was attacking and he might 'need a stitch or two but he's going to be OK.' Based on his decades of experience, the sheriff said the day's incidents show that people today are more willing to use violence against law enforcement. 'I've been doing this for 34 years and I don't think we've ever had two deputy-involved or two officer-involved shootings in one day,' Mina said. 'You'll see the body-worn camera footage within 30 days. He clearly tried to kill our deputy.' The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the incident, as is standard in officer-involved shootings, and turn its findings over to the State Attorney's Office, he said. Once that review is complete the Sheriff's Office will do an internal investigation. The deputy is being put on paid administrative leave — also standard procedure. Earlier in the day, a deputy investigating a suspicious person behind the Save Discount store on North Hiawassee Road in Pine Hills was attacked by a man when he kept him from fleeing. The deputy was punched in the face and head at least 20 times and shot him when he tried to reach for a handgun that fell out a bag he had. Mina said the man, who he declined to identify, was transported to a hospital where he was last reported in stable condition. The deputy, who also was not identified, was taken to a hospital to be checked for possible head injuries and was last reported in good condition. The sheriff said the man will be charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer plus additional charges related to the firearms he had.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Orange County deputies are ticketing 100 people a month for going over 100 mph on the road
A super speeder law is now headed to the governor. The law aims to toughen penalties for people going over 100 miles per hour. House Bill 351 says exceeding the posted speed limit by 50 miles per hour or going over 100 miles per hour means a fine and/or jail time. For a first offense, the penalty is 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both. For a second offense, within five years, that could mean a 6-month license suspension, a fine of up to $1,000, and/or 90 days in jail. Sheriff John Mina is backing that bill. His agency alone is ticketing 100 people a month for going over 100 miles per hour. Telling WFTV, 'There were nearly 2,500 deaths in Florida last year as a result of speeding or reckless driving, so that's what we're trying to deter, and when you're going over 100 miles an hour, no one's going to survive that crash, no one, not the driver and not the people you hit.' Sheriff John Mina backed this legislation, which increased the penalties for those involved in street racing, street takeovers, or stunt driving last year. But it didn't stop a crowd from doing it just a few months after the law was passed, as the agency released video of a crowd at an Orange County intersection. The mob of at least 30 people was seen doing donuts in the middle of the road. One witness told deputies he was stopped at a red light when the crowd started attacking a Tesla and kicking in the windshield. Adam Benouttas was arrested and identified as one of the primary 'sliders,' performing dangerous stunt driving maneuvers, such as doughnuts, in the intersection during the event. The sheriff says these events have decreased since the law was passed, and he hopes that dangerous driving will decrease too if this super speeder law passes. Mina said, 'The old adage is you can't outrun the radio, right? Eventually, we're going to catch up to you. Most people who run from the police are going to get caught at some point, whether it's that day or the next day or the next, but even if they do, that's fine. We'll find them. We will go to their house, we will impound their vehicle, we will seize their vehicle, and we will get them another day. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Deadly street racing crash comes after attempted Florida crackdown
It was so quiet in what would've been Anthony Sanchez's class Thursday morning, students said they could hear the ticking of the neighboring classroom's wall clock. The teacher tried to alleviate the mood, the students recalled, but shortly after Orlando police officers announced Sanchez died, the students made their way out of school. Groups of them arrived to lay flowers at the site on Narcoossee Road where the day before, Sanchez and one other driver lost control of their cars and slammed into tree trunks lining the side of the road. Officers and witnesses said the cars appeared to be street racing. Sanchez was the last to be pulled from his burning vehicle, after firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames enough to use the 'jaws of life' to remove him. The friends described him as a selfless person who loved his car and looked forward to going to college next fall. Scenes like Wednesday's are what lawmakers, officers and deputies are working to avoid, even as they're going up against an age group that often believes in their own invincibility. Read: State Senator, political leader passes away at 76 following surgery complications In 2023, Orange County deputies alone arrested and cited more than 1,000 people for street racing. In January of 2024, they made several arrests after chasing a car that drove 199 miles per hour. The sheriff advocated for a change in the law that doubled fines to $2,000 and made street racing a felony for a second offense or if the offense impeded an emergency vehicle. 'That's an issue that we need to take care of,' Sheriff John Mina said at the time. Still, deputies said in January they cited 100 people for driving more than 100 miles per hour. In 2024, they cited approximately 550. It's unclear if the elevated number was a result of more people driving at dangerously high speeds or more aggressive enforcement. Read: Florida judge stops MV Realty from enforcing controversial homeowner agreements The driver in the near-200 mile per hour chase eventually pleaded to reckless driving, court records show, and while deputies on-scene gleefully announced they would seize his car, his life will go on. The two teenagers recovering in the hospital from Wednesday's crash have a long road ahead of them, their friends said at the crash site. The family of the passenger in the second car, Jordan, said he had many surgeries ahead of him. A friend of Sanchez's family quietly updated his GoFundMe Thursday, announcing his death and asking for donations. 'Please keep them in your prayers; anything will help,' the post said. Read: DeSantis signs sweeping immigration laws for Florida as states rush to fulfill Trump's agenda Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
