A Pinellas County detective whom authorities said fatally shot a man armed with an assault rifle has returned to work, the Sheriff's Office said.
Yariel Mata was removed from nondisciplinary leave last week. On May 7, Mata was part of the joint Pinellas and St. Petersburg auto theft task force when the officers saw a 1998 Ford Windstar driving recklessly near 22nd Avenue S and 16th Street.
They tried to stop the car, but the driver of the Ford, identified as Cory Williams, 31, reversed and struck a St. Petersburg police cruiser. The Ford later crashed with another cruiser and a passenger, Alton Fitzgerald Witchard, 37, got out from the Ford with an assault rifle, the Sheriff's Office said.
Mata yelled at Witchard several times to drop the rifle, but Witchard threatened the deputy with the weapon. Mata fired five times, striking Witchard twice, the Sheriff's Office said. He died at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.
Williams was arrested and faces several charges, including aggravated battery and fleeing and eluding. The investigation is continuing, a Sheriff's spokesman said.
Mata has worked at the Sheriff's Office since June 2012. He has received two written reprimands in the past, Sheriff's Office records show. In September 2013 during a traffic stop, the driver told Mata he was a diplomat. Mata handcuffed him until he could confirm the man's position.
The following year, he received another written reprimand for driving at more than 100 mph while "trying to catch up" with a fleeing car, records state. He also failed to assist a driver whose car was struck by the vehicle Mata was following.
