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Hillsborough deputies come under fire, wound armed man in Carrollwood gunfight

 
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office personnel inspect Streamside and Taywood drives in Tampa, where two deputies shot a suspect in a gunfight Thursday. [LOREN ELLIOTT   |   Times]
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office personnel inspect Streamside and Taywood drives in Tampa, where two deputies shot a suspect in a gunfight Thursday. [LOREN ELLIOTT | Times]
Published April 8, 2016

TAMPA — A disturbance call in a Carrollwood neighborhood led two Hillsborough sheriff's deputies to engage in a gun battle Thursday afternoon that left their armed assailant wounded.

"The deputies were very lucky they were not struck," said Hillsborough sheriff's Col. Donna Lusczynski, noting that more than 20 gunshots were fired.

It happened after a woman called 911 about 2:10 p.m. to report the disturbance at 11010 Streamside Drive, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The woman who called was not identified, and details about the call were not released, but she did report that a man was armed with a handgun.

Cpl. Brian LaVigne and Deputy Mike Diaz drove to the neighborhood, officials said, where they spotted the man in question walking near Streamside and Taywood drives.

The man had his back to the deputies, officials said, when they told him to turn around.

He ignored repeated commands, officials said, before turning around and firing several gunshots from a handgun.

Both deputies returned fire and took cover behind a patrol cruiser.

The man walked toward the deputies, continuing to fire, before the deputies shot him in his legs, officials said.

Neither Diaz nor Lavigne were injured. They administered first aid to the man, whose name was not released. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and was reported to be in stable condition. The gun he was carrying was reported stolen, officials said.

Lavigne has spent 25 years with the Sheriff's Office. Diaz has been with the agency six years.

The 21-year-old man who was shot has a history of domestic violence-related arrests, deputies said.

Contact Dan Sullivan at dsullivan@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386. Follow @TimesDan.