INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Indian River County Deputy James Ooley fired at a vehicle as he tried to avoid getting run over during a traffic stop, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened Saturday morning in the 1000 block of 90th Ave., during which Dep. Ooley stopped a driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.
The driver, identified as 39-year-old Michael Watson, refused to get out of his vehicle and, instead, threw the vehicle in gear, turned it around and nearly struck the deputy, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Dep. Ooley yelled at Watson to stop as the vehicle traveled toward him. He then drew his service pistol, according to Watson’s arrest affidavit, and fired toward the vehicle as he attempted to move away from it. Watson’s vehicle went by him with about a foot to spare.
The deputy later told investigators he was in fear that Watson’s vehicle would strike him.
Watson continued east on 8th Street going 80 mph in a 40 mph zone, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Authorities gave chase eventually catching up to him and apprehending him at his home in the 600 block of Carriage Lake Way.
Watson faces charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, aggravated flee and elude from law enforcement with lights and sirens at high speed, and resting arrest without violence.
The traffic stop started with Dep. Ooley asking Watson to submit to a series of Standardized Field Sobriety exercises, according to authorities. Watson refused and stated that he “just wanted to go home.”
Dep. Ooley advised Watson that he was not dictating the course of actions that were going to take place and again asked him to submit to sobriety testing, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Watson again refused and was given two options: he could perform the exercises or the deputy would determine if Watson could drive based on his observations. Watson refused.
He was then asked to exit the vehicle, which Watson declined to do. Instead, he put his car in gear and accelerated, causing the deputy to step back and draw his service gun.
