Florida man arrested after injuring officer, 2 others during 40-minute shooting spree, police say

TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man was arrested after he injured a police officer and two others while he drove around Tampa during a 40-minute shooting spree, investigators said.

None of the injuries were life-threatening, officials said.

Tampa police said they started getting calls Thursday evening about someone driving around shooting from a moving vehicle along Interstate 275. A 24-year-old police officer tried to pull over the suspect vehicle around 7:30 p.m.

Antonio Cruz Ortiz, 31, got out of the car and started shooting at the patrol car. The officer dodged the bullets, which shattered the back windshield and broke the front windshield.

Ortiz ran into a nearby apartment complex, where he was found on a third-floor landing and taken into custody, police said.

The officer, who has been on the force 11 months, suffered a non-life-threatening injury to his arm and was taken to a hospital.

Ortiz was arrested and charged with attempted murder on a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting into a vehicle. He was being held in jail without bond.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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