Man Killed By Pinellas Deputies After 24-Crime Spree: Police

SAFETY HARBOR, FL — An independent task force is investigating the fatal shooting of a man by four Pinellas County sheriff's deputies on Thursday.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Robert Hubbard, 43, whose last known address was in Tampa, was shot after he pointed a gun at deputies on Philippe Parkway, just north of Enterprise Road in Safety Harbor, around 3:20 p.m. Wednesday.

During a news conference, Clearwater Deputy Chief Michael Walek said Hubbard was shot and killed after a crime spree that began Wednesday afternoon when he was accused of stealing a golf cart, and then a car, at gunpoint in Hillsborough County.

Hours later, in Pasco County, Walek said Hubbard was seen waving a gun around the parking lot of a Walmart. He then attempted to rob a woman outside an Outback Steakhouse in Trinity.

Alerts were issued to area law enforcement agencies warning them to be on the lookout for Hubbard who was listed as armed and dangerous. Hubbard, who has a lengthy criminal history spanning two decades, also previously stated that he wanted to get into a shootout with law enforcement.

On Thursday afternoon, the 2012 Toyota Corolla that Hubbard was accused of stealing in Hillsborough County was spotted by Pinellas sheriff's deputies who attempted several traffic stops.

Each time, Hubbard would speed away, driving recklessly. The car was spotted in Clearwater and in Safety Harbor multiple times by deputies and Clearwater police officers. At one point, deputies were able to successfully place "stop sticks" in the road to blow out the car's tires, but Hubbard continued fleeing.

As Hubbard headed north on Philippe Parkway, a sheriff's deputy performed a pit maneuver, a pursuit tactic by which a pursuing car can force a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control. The maneuver forced Hubbard's car off the road.

Walek said Hubbard got out of the car and pointed a handgun at the deputies. In fear for their lives, deputies fired at Hubbard, and he was pronounced dead.

The deputies involved in the shooting are Robert Smith, 27, hired in 2016; Daniel Abbott, 37, hired in 2018; Anthony Hellstern, 33, hired in 2013; and Damarcus Flournoy, 30, hired in 2017.

The four deputies have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is routine in shooting cases.

The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force, created in 2020 to ensure that fatal shootings involving law enforcement are objectively investigated, has been assigned the case.

The task force is made up of the Clearwater Police Department, the St. Petersburg Police Department and the Pinellas Park Police Department.