Three Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies suffered serious injuries at the hands of a detainee during an arrest Thursday afternoon.
53-year-old Jorge Luis Lopez Duran is in custody and will be held in a neighboring county over three felony charges of assault on a law enforcement officer and inflicting serious bodily injury. The charges stem from Lopez fighting the deputies who responded to a call of suspicious activity and theft.
A release from the sheriff’s office detailed the incident, which took place at the Timbers Manufactured Home Community in Hillsborough — where Lopez is renting a room in a trailer. According to law enforcement, the deputies responded after receiving calls from residents about a man throwing bricks at homes, tampering with their air conditioning units, and “exhibiting concerning behaviors.” Once they arrive, other residents reported the suspect stole items from another residence in the community.
Deputies saw Lopez, who matched the suspect’s description, standing inside a residence with its door open. When the law enforcement officers entered the space to arrest him, Lopez initiated the fight. Thursday’s release said additional personnel from the sheriff’s office, as well as help of officers from Hillsborough’s police department, eventually led to Lopez being successfully detained. The three deputies were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment to their injuries.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said Lopez will be held elsewhere from the Orange County Detention Center to stay consistent with protocols, which dictate a detainee should not be held in the custody of an agency whose personnel they have allegedly assault.
“Law enforcement officers intellectually know their job comes with risk, but the reality of the sacrifice they are willing to make for the public remains somewhat abstract until it is not,” Blackwood said in his office’s release. “Today, their sacrifice was very real, and it was painful. That said, I am grateful all three deputies are expected to make a full recovery. I appreciate the help we received from Hillsborough Police and deputies from other divisions of our agency. Finally, I would like to extend special thanks to the Emergency Services telecommunicators at the 911 center who guided us into and out of that call.”
Thursday’s alert said more information will be released as it becomes available, included larceny and damage to property charges expected to be filed against Lopez.
Featured photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
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