Tampa alternative school student assaults officer, tries to flee from deputies

TAMPA — It started with a student who disobeyed a security officer's command and ended in a chase that involved two school resource officers, three Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies and a toothy K-9.

About 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Cpl. Nicole Wilson spotted a student at North Tampa Alternative School wandering the adjacent property, the Caminiti Exceptional Center at 2600 W Humphrey St. Wilson asked the student to return to the North Tampa campus. He responded by shoving her, deputies said. They struggled and the student, who is 5 feet 5 and 150 pounds, began choking Wilson, deputies said.

She fought back, landing several punches on the student before he fled on foot.

A second school security officer, Wesley Kelly, saw that Wilson was in trouble and ran after the student, who picked up a rock and threatened to hit him. Kelly drew his gun and ordered the student, whose name is being withheld because of his age, to drop the rock. He fled to the campus of Twin Lakes Elementary School.

Meanwhile, sheriff's deputy Kevin Stabins, on detail at Twin Lakes Elementary, noticed the foot chase and joined in. Stabins and the two security officers blocked the student from getting into the school. The principal placed the school on lockdown, deputies said. No Twin Lakes students were harmed.

The student continued to run and was spotted by a second Hillsborough deputy as he tried to break into a house at 8513 N Gomez Ave. Another deputy with a dog saw the student and ordered him to stop. When the student ignored him, the deputy released the dog, which began biting the student as he tried to climb a fence.

The student, who was bitten once in the lower right leg, finally gave up, deputies said. He was arrested, treated at a local hospital and taken to the Hillsborough County Juvenile Assessment Center, where he is being held without bail.

Wilson, the officer the student fought with, had mild abrasions on her neck, deputies said. She was treated at the scene by Hillsborough Fire Rescue.

Tuesday was the student's birthday. He turned 15.