A drug bust led to a car chase with gunfire. A deputy feared he’d be ‘swiss cheesed’
Fakeria Shazey Phillips apparently really didn’t want to be caught Friday afternoon in Palm Beach County.
The Lantana man, who lists his job as a mover on his Facebook page, is accused of two counts of aggravated assault on police officers, fleeing and resisting arrest with violence, according to court records released Saturday.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Phillips, 38, after they say he rammed his car into their unmarked cars before running off, following a drug-related offense, CBS12 first reported.
According to the probable cause affidavit, deputies were conducting surveillance at the Sunny Palm Inn on South Federal Highway in Lake Worth when a deputy saw Phillips engage in a hand-to-hand transaction with another man while he sat inside a black Hyundai that had a North Carolina license plate.
Deputies stopped Phillips at the nearby Barefoot Mailman Motel on South Dixie Highway in Lake Worth.
When the sergeant drew his gun as he approached Phillips, deputies say Phillips reached between his legs into a bag. According to the arrest report, Phillips “grabbed or swatted at Sgt. Segedin’s firearm.”
He was able to make contact with the top front portion of the deputy’s Glock.
“Fakeria eventually put the car into gear and almost crushed Sgt. Segedin between Phillips’ open car door and Segedin’s own vehicle,” the report read.
The officer feared he was “going to be ‘Swiss cheesed’ between Phillips’ Hyundai and his own cop car, and that’s when another deputy arrived and Phillips hit Segedin’s car several times while trying to get away, according to the affidavit.
Both deputies pursued Phillips in “a high speed” chase southbound on Dixie Highway as Phillips entered the northbound lanes. He then got out and ran, deputies say, and was caught. No one was hit or hurt during the incident.
The second deputy fired nine rounds into Phillips’ car while it was at the Barefoot Mailman Motel’s parking lot, according to the report.
Deputies have surveillance video of the events, according to the affidavit.
Phillips’ arrest record, which includes several felonies and traffic infractions, dates back to 2000 in Palm Beach County, according to court records.
Phillips is being held at the Main Detention Center and had a Saturday morning court appearance. The resisting arrest and fleeing charges carry a total $10,000 bond. There is no bond amount for the two aggravated assault charges.
This story was originally published November 2, 2019 at 12:34 PM.
