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Man charged with attempted homicide of Pasco deputy

 
Deputies say Aracelio Cruz-Rosario was charged with attempted homicide after an attack.
Deputies say Aracelio Cruz-Rosario was charged with attempted homicide after an attack.
Published Sept. 6, 2015

LUTZ — A Pasco man was charged with attempted homicide on a law enforcement officer and two counts of depriving an officer of means of protection or communication after he attacked a deputy who responded to the man's home Saturday morning.

Aracelio Cruz-Rosario called the Pasco County Sheriff's Office at 11:13 a.m. to report his 13-year-old son was acting strangely, according to a post on the Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

Cpl. Jessica Gillotte was the first to respond to 1443 Windjammer Loop in Lutz. She attempted to speak to the teen, but faced aggressive resistance from Cruz-Rosario, who outweighed the deputy by more than 100 pounds.

He forced Gillotte into a bedroom and held her wrists. The two struggled and ended up on the floor, where Cruz-Rosario, attempted to take away the deputy's gun. Gillotte's radio had also fallen off during the fight, the post said.

A backup deputy arrived and stunned Cruz-Rosario with his Taser, but to no avail. The two officers were eventually able to subdue Cruz-Rosario and force him into handcuffs.

Gillotte said she feared for her life during the altercation and suffered bruises. Cruz-Rosario was taken to the Land O'Lakes Detention Center where he was being held Saturday on $125,000 bail.