Armed Robbery Suspect Shot By Cop In Stable Condition: Sarasota Police

SARASOTA, FL — An armed robbery suspect is in stable condition after being shot by a Sarasota police officer Tuesday morning outside the Homewood Suites on Fruitville Road, authorities said.

Robert Briandi, 71, of Sarasota faces charges of robbery with a weapon, aggravated assault with a weapon without intent to kill and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer in connection with the incident, according to a Sarasota Police Department news release.

Briandi is accused of trying to steal the purse of an 83-year-old woman in the parking lot of a nearby Publix at 501 North Beneva Road around 10 a.m. She told officers that he approached her from behind and tried to snatch the bag from her shoulder as she was getting into her car.

While she struggled to hold onto her purse, he threatened to cut her with the object he was holding. She told police that she saw a metal object in his hand.

A witness to the crime yelled at Briandi, who let go of the purse and quickly walked away from the scene, police said.

The witness followed Briandi as he crossed Fruitville Road to the Homewood Suites, calling 911 and recording the suspect with his phone. He told investigators that he saw a knife in the suspect’s hand and Briandi threatened him with the weapon several times.

Briandi was shot by a member of SPD, who responded to the hotel, after he “advanced aggressively toward the officer with a knife in hand,” the department said.

The suspect was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and is in stable condition following surgery.

The officer, who hasn’t been identified, was uninjured in the incident. He’s been placed on administrative leave during an investigation into the shooting, which is in accordance with the department’s standard procedure, the agency said.

During a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Capt. John Todd with SPD’s Criminal Investigations Unit said the officer serves on the agency’s patrol unit and has worked for the department for about 17 years.

The officer’s bodycam footage from the shooting was shown during the news conference. In the video, the officer can be heard telling Briandi, who has a knife in one hand, to “drop the knife” and “get on the (expletive) ground” multiple times. He fired his gun as the suspect walked toward him with the knife.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, while Sarasota police are investigating the robbery.