Indian River County Deputy Injured After Shootout With Suspect

Eventually, Coffee turns, punches Lester in the head and pulls out his revolver.

The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy and suspect were injured by gunfire overnight in Gifford.

What should have been a routine traffic stop for one sheriff’s deputy in Florida quickly became risky when the driver punched him in the face before firing a number of gunshots.

The deputy asked Coffee, 53, to remove his hands from his pockets.

Several shots are heard before Coffee, limping noticeably, flees the scene.

“What’s the problem?” Coffee says insistently, before winding up and dropping Lester with a mean right to the jaw. Deputy Lester was struck once in the leg and returned fire striking Coffee twice. The deputy was shot once in the leg but managed to chase Coffee about 100 yards, shooting Coffee two times in the abdomen.

Coffee was later found hiding in a stack of crates at a fruit packing company nearby thanks to a police canine.

The sheriff’s office said Coffee was recently released from prison after serving 21 years for attempted murder.

The deputy is in stable condition, according to the sheriff. Deputy Lester is at the Indian River Medical Center in good condition, while Coffee is undergoing surgery at Lawnwood Medical Center. His rap sheet includes 11 felony arrests and four felony convictions, the station reported.

According to jail records, he was arrested earlier this month on drug charges.

He was out on a $6,500 bond.