Traffic Stop In St. Petersburg Leads To Officer-Involved Shooting Death

One man is dead and another in custody after what police are saying started as an attempted overnight traffic stop in St. Pete and ended with officers shooting a man who turned a rifle on them.

The incident started at approximately 3:30 Saturday morning. Pinellas County and St. Petersburg officers tried to make a traffic stop of a Ford van with an illegal license tag that was being driven erratically, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualteri told reporters Saturday morning.

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Officers tried to stop the vehicle on 18th Avenue South, but the driver struck two police vehicles and sped away, said Gualteri. The van was then followed by a helicopter.

When officers caught up with the van and attempted another stop, the passenger allegedly took off on foot with what police say was an assault rifle near the intersection of 23rd Avenue South and 21st Avenue South.

The suspect then allegedly turned toward deputies and, according to Gualteri, did not fire his weapon. Gualteri said one deputy fired "four to five shots" at the suspect. That deputy has not been identified.

The unidentified suspect was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The other suspect allegedly continued to drive away from police, but was eventually stopped without incident.