The man, who was armed with pepper spray and a knife, was perceived as an immediate threat by the officers, leading to the use of deadly force, according to the Ocala Police Department.
The man's identity has not been disclosed yet. He had been brought to The Vines Hospital by his family for admission around 12:30 p.m. when he started behaving erratically and fled from the clinic, the police reported.
The police located him approximately 10 minutes later in the vicinity of the 5500 block of SW 27th Avenue. Upon their approach, the man's threatening demeanor led the officers to resort to shooting.
Eyewitness Preston Bare, in an interview with WESH-TV, recounted the incident. "The cop was holding the gun, and there was another cop holding the Taser on him, and he was patting on his chest, pleading with the man to please drop whatever he had in his hands," Bare said. "Then he got tased, and he started to immediately run toward the cop that had his gun drawn on him, spraying him while he's running with the knife in his hand, and then he got shot."
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Following the shooting, the man was promptly transported to a local hospital for surgery. The police have reported that he is in serious condition with further medical procedures pending.
No officers were injured in the incident. As per standard protocol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is assisting with the ongoing investigation.
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