Man Killed By Police After Fleeing With Deputy In Car, Pasco Authorities Say

HUDSON, FL — A man was fatally shot by a Pasco County sheriff’s deputy after the man drove away with the deputy inside his vehicle, according to police.

The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Saturday outside the 7-Eleven at U.S. 19 and New York Avenue in Hudson, police said.

The deputy recognized 40-year-old Paul Smith, who was wanted in a strangulation case and had a violent criminal history, and ordered Smith to get out of his car, but Smith did not comply, instead speeding away with the deputy hanging from the open door, according to police.

Col. Jeff Harrington told reporters at a press conference published on Facebook that the deputy called for backup and the struggle continued in the car, with witnesses reporting that the deputy’s legs were hanging out of the vehicle.

The deputy told Smith to stop repeatedly, deployed his Taser, and warned Smith he would shoot if Smith did not stop the car, according to police, who said Smith ignored the commands and the deputy shot him, stopped the vehicle and rendered aid.

Smith died of his injuries, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate, police said.

“Life is all about decisions,” Harrington said Saturday night at the press conference. "And so this suspect decided that he was going to try to fight with the deputy sheriff. He decided to engage in a course of conduct that put the deputy's life in jeopardy.

“The deputy reacted to the decisions and the actions that the suspect took, and life is about decisions, and so the deputy sheriff decided that he was going to go home tonight, and so that’s my assessment of what took place tonight.”

To view body camera footage of the encounter, visit the sheriff’s office's Facebook page. The video contains profane language and violence.