SUNRISE, Florida (AP) – Several FBI agents were shot Tuesday morning while serving a warrant in a child exploitation case in South Florida, authorities said. The suspect was apparently in a unit in an apartment complex, surrounded by law enforcement.
A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that several FBI agents were shot while serving the warrant, and that the extent of their injuries was not immediately known. The official could not discuss an ongoing investigation in public and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson was briefed on the shooting incident and kept a close eye on the situation on Tuesday, a Justice Department spokesman said.
Julius McLymont, whose home borders the Water Terrace apartment complex, broke out with about four shots.
“Boomboomboomboomboomboom,” he said.
He thought it was a car falling back, but about two minutes later he heard another burst of about five shots. He went outside and looked over his fence while police cars and ambulances stormed in. Then he saw officers working on someone lying on the ground, who was then loaded into an ambulance.
A SWAT team appears next, with officers putting on riot gear. Then they went around the building and shouted, “Go, go.”
McLymont said he could not see the apartment where the shooting took place.
Authorities did not immediately release information about the suspect, who allegedly stayed in the house, surrounded by officers.
According to television video, another large officer gathered outside a Fort Lauderdale hospital where the victims were taken.
The Sunrise Police Station tweeted about the heavy police presence and the closure of surrounding roads.
The shooting took place in Water Terrace, a complex of houses with multiple units. Hours later, Sunrise police urged its residents to stay indoors and be patient while law enforcement officers blocked the entrances to their community.
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Balsamo contributed from Washington. Frieda Frisaro contributed from Fort Lauderdale.