Two Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies sustained serious injuries last week while responding to a call for service, which turned into an ambush attack, and are continuing to recover in the Tampa area.
The two deputies involved were Corporal Carlos Brito and Deputy Manuel Santos. Both sustained serious, critical injuries and received treatment at Tampa General Hospital. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister joined Deputy Manuel Santos as he was discharged from Tampa General Hospital. Corporal Britos also remains in the hospital recovering from his critical injuries.
On November 9th, the HCSO Communications Center received a call at 7:44am from a woman stating that she was in fear of her son, who was behaving violently at their home in Brandon, located on Dexwell Court.
When the deputies arrived, they came into contact with 28-year-old Ralph Bouzy, who was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in the driveway of his home. Deputies tried to make contact with him, expressing they were there to help, but Bouzy refused to speak to them and drove away.
Just after 8:00am, Bouzy returned to the scene, deliberately ambushing the deputies there. He accelerated his vehicle as he turned onto Dexwell Court, causing a deputy to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. Bouzy then continued to speed towards two deputies standing outside of their marked patrol SUV, violently colliding with both deputies.
“There is no other way to describe this other than an ambush,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Our deputies put their lives on the line every day to protect this community and what happened today makes me absolutely sick.”
Two other deputies encountered Bouzy after he exited his vehicle. After he refused law enforcement commands, a taser was deployed and Bouzy was taken into custody.
Corporal Brito has been with HCSO since 2013. Deputy Santos started at HCSO in 2019.
Deputy Santos called the moments leading up to Ralph Bouzy trying to murder him by driving a vehicle into him the “scariest moments of his life.”
“I’m happy to be here — obviously, the chances of me being here were slim to none for a second,” said Deputy Santos. “My hopes are that he [Corporal Brito] is able to keep his body the way it is, he comes out walking, and we’re able to get back to the next shift together.”
“Corporal Brito and Deputy Santos came to work today committed to making a difference in their community,” added Sheriff Chronister. “Because of this man’s deliberate and intentional actions, their lives, and their family’s lives are changed forever.”
Bouzy has previously been arrested for three felonies and 14 misdemeanors. He is facing charges of Attempted Murder on a Law Enforcement Officer (X3).
This is an active investigation in Central Florida, and law enforcement said additional charges may be pending.
“Both deputies are in for a long road to recovery,” said Sheriff Chronister. “I’m so grateful that tonight Deputy Santos gets to walk out of here, or even get wheeled out of here, on his own accord and that he’s alive.”
In light of yesterday’s distressing incident, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shared a donation page established to support Corporal Brito and Deputy Santos during their recovery. The funds raised through the Lynn Sowers Memorial Foundation will go towards covering any additional support needed for them and their families.
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