FHP arrests homicide suspect in Lee County
State troopers took a man sought in a St. Petersburg homicide into custody following a standoff on I-75 that shut the highway down outside of Fort Myers Wednesday, and which has widely been reported to have involved guns being fired.
The Florida Highway Patrol has released little information regarding what transpired during the arrest of 43-year-old Ladavion King, who was listed as in serious condition at an area hospital as of Friday, in an updated provided by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Numerous social media posts showed video of police officers repeatedly shooting at a truck on I-75 during a showdown with a suspect.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the takedown operation began at approximately 12:30 p.m. after Florida Highway Patrol received a Be On The Lookout alert from the FHP Regional Communications Center regarding a suspect believed to be suicidal and involved in a homicide.
Troopers located the suspect in Lee County and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect fled.
A Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT, maneuver was successfully executed near southbound Exit 128 at Alico Road on I-75 near Fort Myers.
“Despite this, the suspect refused to comply with lawful commands and barricaded himself inside his vehicle,” FHP said in a release.
State Troopers, along with Lee County Sheriff’s deputies who were also on scene, established contact with the suspect who was ultimately taken into custody.
“The suspect has been transported to the hospital with serious injuries. No law enforcement was injured on scene. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is on scene and will further investigate the Use of Control,” Florid Highway Patrol said in a statement.
The suspect was identified as 43-year-old Ladavion King. He was still hospitalized in serious condition on Thursday morning.
Footage posted online appeared to show shots fired during the standoff between police and the suspect. Photographs of the truck were posted online with a badly damaged truck with bullet holes in the windshield. The truck was surrounded by police vehicles and a barricade.
The Florida Highway Patrol has released limited information regarding the use of force that ensued during the standoff. Video footage posted online has shown that shots were fired during a standoff.
Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Greg Bueno referred questions regarding the circumstances of the apparent gun shots fired during the incident, back to the press release which stated that the “Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the use of control.”
Traffic on I-75 was backed up for hours following the incident. All lanes of the highway were not reopened until approximately 10 hours after the incident began unfolding.
“State Troopers and law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect the people of this great state,” said FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner. “As this is an active criminal investigation, we will have no further comment, except to say how thankful I am for the heroism State Troopers display each and every day, including this very challenging and dangerous incident today. The entire Florida Highway Patrol is deeply thankful for the heroism and support Lee County Deputies provided in responding, as well.”
As of Friday, the Florida Highway Patrol Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Division (BCII) said they were continuing to conduct an active investigation into the traffic stop incident that occurred on southbound Interstate 75 at Exit 128, in Lee County.
So far, the Florida Highway Patrol has announced that King is facing charges of attempted second degree murder with a firearm, four counts of first-degree discharging a firearm in public, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, second-degree fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer.