POLK CITY, Fla. — A “wild, totally out of control” ex-con was shot and killed after he crashed his pickup truck into a fence, tried to climb onboard a school bus, jumped on two cars and then broke into a house, a Florida sheriff said.
The maniacal chain of events occurred just before dawn Friday morning in Polk City.
Mayson Armando Ortiz-Vazquez, 45, of Orlando, was identified as the man who was killed during the criminal rampage, reported the Lakeland Ledger.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said he was “totally out of control” when he drove his vehicle north down Old Polk City Road near Hunter’s Run Boulevard. He left tracks all over the side of the road before his truck crashed through a fence and came to rest under some trees, Judd said.
A preliminary investigation revealed Ortiz-Vazquez exited his vehicle and attempted to board a school bus that was in the process of picking up a child in the area, but the bus driver locked the bus door after the child boarded and pulled away.
Ortiz-Vazquez, described as 6 feet tall and 250 pounds, proceeded to jump on two more vehicles — rolling around on the hoods and breaking the front windshield of the second vehicle, Judd said.
The driver of the first vehicle noticed that Ortiz-Vazquez was bleeding and called 911, the sheriff said. The driver of the second vehicle described him as “growling” before he jumped off that vehicle and left the area, according to Judd.
During the investigation, a knife was found in the area of the two vehicles, according to Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The man who killed Ortiz-Vazquez acted to protect his family, including his 9-year-old child, Judd said, according to the Lakeland Ledger.
“They were trying to control him inside the house,” Judd said, according to the news organization. “He grabbed the glass that didn’t break when he broke in and threw it at the homeowner. And that is when they shot him, and he went down.”
Ortiz-Vazquez went to Polk City to buy drugs, according to the paper.
“This has meth written all over it,” Judd said. “At 6:10 this morning, he goes totally wild, totally out of control. Very dangerous and he does a home invasion. … This was a very frightening event today.”
School bus driver Margie Yzaguirre refused to open the doors to Mayson Armando Ortiz-Vazquez after he started banging on them. (Polk County Public Schools)
The sheriff hailed the school bus driver as a hero. She had just picked up a child when she encountered Ortiz-Vazquez, FOX reported.
“She kept the doors locked and didn’t let him in when he ran up to the vehicle,” Judd said.
“He comes to my student door. He has blood dripping down his arm, and he starts banging on the doors to get in,” the driver Margie Yzaguirre said.
Although she was frightened, the driver remained calm, as she refused to open the doors and motioned the out of control suspect to get away from the bus.
She then used her radio to call her dispatcher, who alerted law enforcement, school officials said.
“From every indication at this point in the investigation, this homeowner was perfectly justified in what he did,” Judd said.
The Sheriff’s Office stated Ortiz-Vazquez has been to state prison once and his prior criminal history consists of five felonies and four misdemeanors, including charges for Felony Battery, Burglary, Obstruction of Justice, Filing a False Report, and Contempt.
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