Man Crashed Into by FCSO Deputy After Allegedly Pulling Gun on Him

A homeless man in Palm Coast’s W Section was arrested on Saturday after allegedly pulling a gun on a deputy, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. 38-year-old Michael McDermott was taken into custody on four felony and one misdemeanor charges in the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to a report of the incident by the FCSO, McDermott was seen by deputy Christopher Murphy on the sidewalk along Pine Lakes Pkwy as he was on patrol in the W Section. He was said to have been standing next to a bicycle. Murphy reportedly tried to speak to McDermott, prompting him to get on the bike and ride off.

Deputy Murphy then reportedly turned on his car’s lights and tried to conduct a traffic stop on McDermott. When both parties were stopped and Murphy exited his car, McDermott was said to have pedaled quickly away. Murphy got back in to catch back up. The incident carried over to Westminster Drive, and at this point McDermott allegedly drew a gun out of his pants.

At this point, Murphy hit McDermott with his car reportedly out of fear that he may be shot at. McDermott was thrown from the bike and the gun is then said to have been dropped onto the ground. Video of the encounter shows the entire struggle taking mere seconds. Murphy took McDermott into custody without any further incident. Another deputy, Michael Anderson, came to provide backup and helped arrest McDermott. Deputies recovered a 9mm handgun, and said they found a holster on his person when they arrested him.

McDermott was charged with four felonies: aggravated assault on an officer, resisting an officer with violence, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and fleeing or eluding an officer with lights and/or sirens. Additionally, he was charged with misdemeanor improper exhibition of a firearm. After being taken to AdventHealth on Palm Coast Pkwy for an ankle injury, McDermott was booked into the county jail on $21,000 bond.

Prior to Saturday, McDermott has several prior bookings into the Flagler County jail. Previous charges include kidnapping, domestic battery, grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, shoplifting, and disposal of a match to start a wildfire.

“The job that a deputy sheriff does to proactive protect our community is a dangerous one, and deputies must often make split-second decisions,” said Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly. “In this instance, Deputy Murphy was forced to make a split second decision in a dangerous encounter with an armed felon. This incident could have taken a deadly turn and I am thankful that the situation was quickly resolved before that became a reality.”