A large manhunt took place in Polk County Thursday after a fleeing suspect reportedly grabbed a deputy’s gun, pointed it at him, and told him to “back off.”
The incident unfolded around 2:45 p.m. in the area of Brunell Parkway and Lorri Ave in Lakeland, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
The sheriff’s office said the suspect, Curtis Young, 53, had recently been released from jail and had violated the conditions of his sex offender registration by absconding.
“We were dealing with a sex offender,” Judd said. “He had already gotten in trouble for having sex with a child between 12 and 16 years of age, and ultimately, we were checking on the status of that.”
Deputies tracked Young to Lakeland using his GPS ankle monitor. However, Young reportedly started running as soon as he spotted law enforcement.
A deputy pursued Young as he ran into a nearby backyard. That’s when the sheriff said Young spun around and tackled the deputy to the ground “as if they were on a football field.”
Young reportedly ripped the deputy’s gun out of its safety holder as they were fighting on the ground. He then jumped to his feet and held the deputy at gunpoint, Judd said.
“The good news is he chose not to shoot us,” the sheriff said.
After he had the gun, deputies said Young took off running again. A massive search ensued, including helicopters, boats, and K-9 units.
Following the altercation, Young fled on foot and leaped into Lake Bonnet, attempting to evade capture by swimming and hiding among aquatic vegetation approximately 50-75 yards offshore.
Judd said K-9 teams tracked Young to nearby Lake Bonnet, where they eventually found him hiding in a patch of vegetation after over an hour of searching.
As he was taken into custody, Young told authorities he had dropped the deputy’s firearm in the lake. As of Thursday afternoon, deputies were still searching the water for the weapon.
Judd said Young will be going back to jail with “a litany of charges.” The good news, he said, is no one was hurt.
“He didn’t want to hurt us,” the sheriff said. “He wanted to escape.”
Young’s criminal history includes previous arrests for lewd and lascivious battery on a victim between 12 and 15 years old, battery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, fraud, forgery, grand theft, grand theft of a motor vehicle, DUI, and failure to register as a sex offender.
A nearby school was placed briefly placed on lockdown during the incident, but Judd said there was no threat to the school.
Judd said the sheriff’s office plans to launch a follow-up investigation to ensure the deputy’s gun holsters are secure.