The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said a confrontation between a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy and an armed man Monday resulted in the arrest of a convicted felon who wasn’t legally allowed to have a firearm.
Deputies said they received numerous 911 calls concerning an armed man stumbling along the road near Mahogany Boulevard and Hickory Avenue.
The FCSO’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) technology allowed the RTCC to stream a deputy’s body camera live to assist other deputies as a virtual backup.
According to the sheriff’s office, DFC Prevatt had Manuel Almeida, who is a registered sex offender, at gunpoint and used the technology to request the RTCC monitor her body camera so she did not have to remove a hand from her rifle while concentrating on the man.
FCSO released several excerpts of the deputy’s body cam footage. You can hear the deputy repeatedly telling someone to disarm.
The RTCC monitored the responding deputy and the situation while relaying real-time information to responding units including Almeida who fired a shot into the air and then ran into a wooded area.
Additional deputies engaged Almeida again and de-escalated him.
Deputies found a .22 caliber rifle with a jammed shell casing in the wooded area.
Almeida was charged with having a gun and ammo as a convicted felon, shooting and openly carrying a gun in public and resisting arrest without violence.
“DFC Prevatt showcased the extensive training our Deputies go through to diffuse a hostile situation while using the physical and virtual equipment available to them to ensure the safety of themselves, other Deputies, and the public,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I also commend the citizens that called in ‘seeing something, saying something’ of the subject’s reckless behavior. The actions of our deputies and the callers likely prevented a more serious incident from occurring.”
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be pending.