Caught on video: BSO deputies exchange gunfire with armed man in Pompano Beach
FORT LAUDERDALE - Several Broward sheriff's deputies were involved in a shootout with an armed man at a Pompano Beach apartment complex Tuesday evening and it was caught on camera.
The sheriff's office said around 9:30 p.m. they received a report about gunfire in the 700 block of NW 5 Avenue.
Alexis Barfosky said her neighbor Scott Simonelli was always complaining about her young kids running around the complex. According to the sheriff's office, he fired from his apartment up into hers. Barfosky said she called 911 and hid under the blankets with her kids.
Several people who live in the complex said it began when their neighbor Simonelli could be heard yelling at something or someone. They said he could be very caring, but he was also paranoid and always walked around with his guns. They added that he was no stranger to law enforcement.
Another woman called 911, who did not want to be identified in this report, said it was the sound of gunfire that got her attention.
"I came out to check what was going on. When I went back in the house, we heard another shot, and then we heard several shots, like a semi-automatic. That's when I picked up the phone and called 911. I was like, 'Hey, over 20 shots have been fired.' As I was speaking to the 911 operator, there were more shots being fired," she said.
Witnesses said when deputies arrived, Simonelli was standing in the courtyard with his guns and shooting at them. They said the deputies returned fire, and he was hit three times. The sheriff's office has not confirmed this account of what prompted the deputies to fire.
Video surveillance footage from the complex shows a deputy yelling at the man to drop his gun when a shot rang out. Then officers began shooting at the man who was off camera. Several rounds of gunfire were heard and then silence.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue took Simonelli, who was shot three times, to a nearby hospital. No one else was injured.
The sheriff's office said Simonelli, 52, has been Baker acted in the past. They say he has made threats of violence before.
Simonelli, who is expected to recover, is facing charges of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault.
CBS News Miami reached out to Simonelli's family, but they said they had no comments.
Sheriff Gregory Tony said Simonelli used an AR-15 during the shootout and that multiple other guns were found in his apartment. So were all the guns legal?
"We haven't had anything that was reported stolen at this time. If that's your question. So, perhaps he purchased them. Maybe, they belonged to family members but whatever that is we haven't had anything reported that it was stolen," Tony said.
As per protocol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the officer-involved shooting.
Per BSO policy, the two deputies who fired their weapons were placed on administrative assignment pending the investigation.
