PLANTATION, Fla. –Police shot and killed a fugitive felon Thursday morning after the man tried to flee in a stolen Dodge Charger – with an officer dangling from the driver's side window, authorities said.
Officers fired several bullets through the car's windshield, fatally wounding Carl Brewster, 28, of Sunrise, behind the Mobil gas station at the southwest corner of Sunrise Boulevard and University Drive. It happened about 9:30 a.m.
The officer who was dragged suffered minor injuries. No one else was hurt.
Brewster had absconded from a five-year probation sentence after he was convicted of armed robbery and fleeing and eluding law enforcement, state records show. The Florida Department of Corrections last month issued warrants for his arrest.
Police said they found Brewster thanks to a tip Friday that a stolen car and a man wanted on outstanding warrants could be found at the Mobil station, said Detective Robert Rettig, a Plantation police spokesman.
An officer confronted Brewster while he was inside the Dodge and tried to shock him with a Taser, but it had no effect, Rettig said. When Brewster tried to drive away, the officer reached into the car and grabbed the steering wheel, Rettig said.
"He couldn't release the wheel," Rettig said of the officer, who was dragged several yards.
At that point, other officers opened fire, killing Brewster, officials said.
Plantation police would not say how many officers used their weapons or identify those involved.
It was also unclear where the officers were standing when they opened fire, or whether they shot while their fellow officer was still hanging from the car window. During the incident, Brewster rammed two cars, including a police cruiser, Rettig said.
Employees and shoppers at a mall across the street heard the shots, but couldn't see much. "It was just boom, boom, boom, boom," said Maggie Dorfman, who works at South Florida Laser Eye Center. "We locked the door. We didn't know what was going on."
All officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave, which is routine after police shootings, Rettig said.
The case added to a series of deadly shootings by officers in Broward County, which logged nine cases in 2008, the most in a year in at least the past decade.
Editorial Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this article.
Sofia Santana can be reached at svsantana @SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4631.
Driven to force
Officers opened fire on the car, above, killing Brewster, when he tried to flee, officials said. An officer had reached into the car and grabbed the wheel.
Fugitive was sought
Carl Brewster, 28, of Sunrise, was a fugitive after being convicted of armed robbery and fleeing and eluding law enforcement, Florida records show.
Inside look
View a video report and photo gallery about the 9:30 a.m. incident at SunSentinel .com/shooting