Fund Established To Support Critically Injured Hillsborough Deputies

BRANDON, FL — As Hillsborough County sheriff's Cpl. Carlos Brito, 39, and Deputy Manuel Santos, 31, continue to recover at Tampa General Hospital from critical injuries, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister is inviting those asking how they can support the deputies to make donations to the Lynn Sowers Memorial Foundation.

The deputies were rushed to the trauma center at Tampa General Hospital Thursday after a Brandon man with mental health issues mowed them down with his Nissan Altima outside his mother's home on Dexwell Court in Heather Lakes subdivision.

Both deputies were pinned between the Nissan driven by Ralph Bouzy, 28, and their sheriff's sports utility vehicles.

Brito was the most severely injured. A piece of the femur bone in his leg became stuck between the Nissan and his sheriff's SUV. Doctors at Tampa General are concerned they might have to amputate his leg, Chronister said.

The surgeon at Tampa General asked deputies at the scene to transport the piece of femur bone left at the scene to the hospital so he could use it to try to save Brito's leg.

"Surgeons are doing everything they can to save the leg," said Chronister, adding that they anticipate more surgeries and a long rehabilitation for the corporal who remains in critical condition at the hospital where he's surrounded by family members.

Santos also suffered significant leg injuries, said Chronister. He has a bilateral break in one leg and extensive ligament damage, which will require surgery, said the sheriff.

Chronister said Bouzy was intent on killing the deputies by crashing his car into them. Bouzy accelerated his vehicle as he turned onto Dexwell Court, then sped toward the deputies who had answered his mother's call for help, Chronister said.

“There is no other way to describe this other than an ambush,” said Chronister. “Our deputies put their lives on the line every day to protect this community and what happened today makes me absolutely sick.”

At 7:44 a.m., the sheriff's communications center received a call from a woman who lives on Dexwell Court who said her son, who has a history of mental health problems, was behaving violently, kicking in doors throughout the home. She told dispatchers that she feared for her life.

Related: 2 Florida Deputies Critically Injured, 1 May Lose His Leg: Sheriff

When deputies arrived, they found Bouzy, 28, sitting in the driver's seat of a Nissan Altima in the driveway of the home on Drexwell Court. Deputies tried to talk to him, asking how they could help but they said Bouzy refused to speak to them.

“They try to establish a rapport,” Chronister said. “They try to de-escalate the situation. He wants nothing to do with the deputies. He won’t roll the window down. He won’t open up the door. He won’t even engage in conversation.”

Instead, Chronister said Bouzy put the car in reverse and drove off.

The deputies were still at the home when Bouzy returned around 8 a.m. Both were standing about 10 feet from their marked sheriff's SUVs when Bouzy "deliberately accelerated and aimed his car at them," the sheriff said.

Chronister said both deputies tried to jump out of Bouzy's way but he struck Santos and continued driving, striking Brito, pinning them both against their SUVs.

Chronister released a chilling video from neighboring home surveillance cameras showing the moments when Bouzy crashed into the deputies.

Bouzy was brought down by stun guns fired by two backup deputies at the scene. He has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of law enforcement officers and is being held in the Hillsborough County Jail without bail.

Chronister said there's been an outpouring of support from the community following the crash. Gov. Ron DeSantis even posted on his Facebook page that he and First Lady Casey Santos are praying for the deputies.

"As Cpl. Brito and Deputy Santos continue their recovery, you can help support them and their families," Chronister said, who posted a photo on thesheriff's Facebook page of him posing with Santos and Santos' wife in the deputy's hospital room. "The funds raised through the Lynn Sowers Memorial Foundation will go toward covering medical expenses, rehabilitation and any additional support needed for them and their families. We continue to pray for him and Cpl. Brito who also remains in the hospital."

To donate to the foundation, click here.