Firemedic 61
04-09-2009, 03:43 PM
PALM SPRINGS - Four days after being released from jail on a charge of attacking a police officer, Mauricio Cruz tried it again, authorities said.
A Palm Springs police officer shot Cruz with a stun gun Wednesday morning, but Cruz managed to beat the officer on the head with a ceramic flower pot, investigators said. He grabbed the officer's gun and beat him with that too, they said.
"All I see is a cop screaming, 'Help me,' and I see a guy with the gun in his hand pistol-whipping him," said witness William Arrowsmith, 22.
During the struggle in the 3300 block of Second Avenue North, the Officer Douglas Rua, 31, managed to remove the clip from the gun, investigators said.
Another police officer, Joseph DeRogatis, 35, and county fire-rescue Capt. Edwin O'Berry, 44, shot at Cruz, 35. O'Berry was on his way to work at Fire-Rescue Station 31. He saw Rua in distress and jumped a chain-link fence, then fired at the suspect, using his personal handgun, deputies said.
DeRogatis arrived and shot at Cruz after Cruz pointed the gun at him, deputies said.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has taken over the investigation.
Cruz died during surgery in Delray Medical Center. It wasn't clear who fired the fatal shot. Rua, a 10-year veteran, was treated and released Wednesday.
In September 2005, Rua shot and killed a 18-year-old Marc Ariot after he allegedly tried to run the officer over. Rua was paged to the Bank of America on Congress Avenue and Greenbrier Drive regarding fraud in one of the drive-through lanes.
Driver Ariot and a passenger allegedly were trying to cash a fake check.
Rua parked his cruiser, pulled his .40-caliber Glock pistol and pointed it at the suspects, records show. That's when Ariot drove forward and Rua fired three times into the car as it passed through. Two shots hit Ariot, one in the neck and one in the back, records show.
A grand jury cleared Rua of wrongdoing.
Wednesday's incident began at 7:20 a.m. at Los Gallitos shop in the 3400 block of Lake Worth Road.
According to police and the store owner:
Cruz, a regular customer, walked in and ordered coffee. He walked behind another counter and grabbed a key to the money drawer.
Store employee Luciano Ponce, 24, confronted Cruz and struck him on the hand with a broom. Cruz dropped the key and took off as he heard police sirens. Ponce said Cruz claimed he was the owner of the shop and an immigration agent.
Cruz retreated to the block where he lived. He was shot there.
His aunt, Ana Cruz, who also lives on the block, pointed at some of her nephew's bloody clothes, spread out near crime scene tape.
"He was a good man; he didn't do drugs. He was a victim."
Hours before he was killed, police met Cruz on another call. About 4 a.m. Wednesday, he wandered into Fire-Rescue Station 31 saying he was cold, said Palm Springs Police Capt. Mark Hall. Police brought him a sweater before telling him to leave.
Riviera Beach police arrested Cruz on March 6 on charges of burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.
In that case, police went to a report of a burglary at a store and said they found Cruz carrying out flattened boxes.
When ordered to stop, Cruz picked up a metal pole and threatened an officer, police said. He dropped the pole but picked it up again and approached the officer, police said. Cruz was shot with a stun gun. He was released Saturday on $6,000 bail.
A Palm Springs police officer shot Cruz with a stun gun Wednesday morning, but Cruz managed to beat the officer on the head with a ceramic flower pot, investigators said. He grabbed the officer's gun and beat him with that too, they said.
"All I see is a cop screaming, 'Help me,' and I see a guy with the gun in his hand pistol-whipping him," said witness William Arrowsmith, 22.
During the struggle in the 3300 block of Second Avenue North, the Officer Douglas Rua, 31, managed to remove the clip from the gun, investigators said.
Another police officer, Joseph DeRogatis, 35, and county fire-rescue Capt. Edwin O'Berry, 44, shot at Cruz, 35. O'Berry was on his way to work at Fire-Rescue Station 31. He saw Rua in distress and jumped a chain-link fence, then fired at the suspect, using his personal handgun, deputies said.
DeRogatis arrived and shot at Cruz after Cruz pointed the gun at him, deputies said.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has taken over the investigation.
Cruz died during surgery in Delray Medical Center. It wasn't clear who fired the fatal shot. Rua, a 10-year veteran, was treated and released Wednesday.
In September 2005, Rua shot and killed a 18-year-old Marc Ariot after he allegedly tried to run the officer over. Rua was paged to the Bank of America on Congress Avenue and Greenbrier Drive regarding fraud in one of the drive-through lanes.
Driver Ariot and a passenger allegedly were trying to cash a fake check.
Rua parked his cruiser, pulled his .40-caliber Glock pistol and pointed it at the suspects, records show. That's when Ariot drove forward and Rua fired three times into the car as it passed through. Two shots hit Ariot, one in the neck and one in the back, records show.
A grand jury cleared Rua of wrongdoing.
Wednesday's incident began at 7:20 a.m. at Los Gallitos shop in the 3400 block of Lake Worth Road.
According to police and the store owner:
Cruz, a regular customer, walked in and ordered coffee. He walked behind another counter and grabbed a key to the money drawer.
Store employee Luciano Ponce, 24, confronted Cruz and struck him on the hand with a broom. Cruz dropped the key and took off as he heard police sirens. Ponce said Cruz claimed he was the owner of the shop and an immigration agent.
Cruz retreated to the block where he lived. He was shot there.
His aunt, Ana Cruz, who also lives on the block, pointed at some of her nephew's bloody clothes, spread out near crime scene tape.
"He was a good man; he didn't do drugs. He was a victim."
Hours before he was killed, police met Cruz on another call. About 4 a.m. Wednesday, he wandered into Fire-Rescue Station 31 saying he was cold, said Palm Springs Police Capt. Mark Hall. Police brought him a sweater before telling him to leave.
Riviera Beach police arrested Cruz on March 6 on charges of burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.
In that case, police went to a report of a burglary at a store and said they found Cruz carrying out flattened boxes.
When ordered to stop, Cruz picked up a metal pole and threatened an officer, police said. He dropped the pole but picked it up again and approached the officer, police said. Cruz was shot with a stun gun. He was released Saturday on $6,000 bail.