FCSO: Man Pulled Gun On Deputies During Traffic Stop

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Bunnell, FL - A 39-year-old man bonds out of Flagler County Jail following his arrest for pulling out a gun during a traffic stop.

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office took Alphonso L. Brooks Jr. into custody last night (August 16th) near the intersection of North Church and East Howe streets in Bunnell.

FCSO has released body camera footage of the incident, which ended without shots fired or a taser deployment. It's posted below.

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE IN VIDEO

It all started when a deputy saw Brooks - a convicted felon with past charges of aggravated battery on a person with a deadly weapon and lewd/lascivious molestation - go through a stop sign while behind the wheel of a black Ford sedan and pulled him over for that reason, according to FCSO spokesperson Anna Hackett.

She says other units from the Bunnell Police Department and FCSO responded soon afterward, including a K-9 who reported to the handler that the vehicle had some sort of narcotics inside.

"Brooks was requested to exit the vehicle," Hackett added. "As Brooks was exiting the vehicle, a deputy and [a BPD] officer observed Brooks reach back into the driver’s seat and grab a firearm in his hand as he began exiting the vehicle and attempted to conceal it from law enforcement's view. As he stood up, the grip of the pistol was grasped in his right palm with his fingers wrapped around the grip, consistent with how a firearm is fired."

That's when deputies screamed out that he had a gun, with at least one drawing his gun from the holster while another pinned Brooks against his vehicle.

"The firearm became dislodged from Brooks’ grip and fell to the ground," Hackett added. "[A] deputy confirmed the safety of the other law enforcement officers, [then] secured the suspect and the firearm."

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly says his officers handled the situation properly.

"This encounter could have quickly become a deputy-involved shooting caused by the suspect’s actions," Staly added. "[All the officers at the scene] showed great restraint and are safe because of their training and teamwork. This could have had a very different outcome with the death of Brooks or a deputy or officer."

Brooks left FCJ this afternoon after posting $50,000 bond on four felony counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, carrying a concealed firearm and two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

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