A routine traffic stop turned into a nightmare no law enforcement officer should ever have to face.
One Florida deputy thought he was just doing his job when everything went sideways.
And this Marion County deputy received one nasty surprise that left him counting his blessings.
Traffic stop takes deadly turn when handcuffed suspect opens fire
Deputy A. Guillard was just doing what deputies do every day across America when he pulled over 22-year-old Rheanna Harden for a traffic violation in Summerfield on Monday morning.
But this wasn’t going to be just another traffic ticket.
Harden was driving with a suspended license and tried to lie about who she was when Deputy Guillard asked for identification.
Things got worse when the deputy found meth and drug paraphernalia during his search.
Deputy Guillard did everything by the book – he cuffed her, searched her thoroughly, and put her in the back of his patrol car to take her to jail.
But what happened next defies belief and highlights the daily dangers our law enforcement officers face.
While traveling northbound on South Highway 441 near the 2900 block around 1 a.m., the unthinkable occurred.
Harden, still handcuffed in the back of the patrol car, managed to slip out of her restraints and retrieve a small handgun that she had hidden in her pants.
She didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, firing right at Deputy Guillard’s head while he was behind the wheel.
That bullet came inches from ending his life – it grazed him near his right eye and could have easily been fatal.
Deputy’s quick thinking prevents tragedy
The patrol car slammed into a utility pole after Harden opened fire, but Deputy Guillard wasn’t going down without a fight.
Despite being wounded and likely stunned by the sudden attack, he got out of the car and fired back at his attacker.
His shots found their mark, wounding Harden in the shoulder and hip before taking cover to prevent further injury.
Both the deputy and suspect were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and were later released after receiving care for their non-life-threatening injuries.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
"She was handcuffed and she is a little bit flexible," Valerie Strong, spokesperson for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters, describing how Harden managed to access the weapon despite being restrained.
"All our deputies and staff here are just very glad and extremely grateful that our deputy is fine," Strong added.
Criminal faces serious charges after brazen attack
Harden’s troubles didn’t end with her initial arrest for the traffic violations and drug charges.
She was arrested a second time on June 23 and now faces much more serious charges including attempted second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Court records show Harden has a lengthy criminal history, which explains why she was prohibited from possessing firearms in the first place.
She is currently being held at the Lake County Jail without bond, ensuring she won’t have another opportunity to harm law enforcement or civilians while awaiting trial.
She’ll be back in court on July 29 to answer for trying to murder a deputy.
This attack shows the real dangers police face
What happened to Deputy Guillard proves just how dangerous police work really is.
He did his job exactly right – handcuffed the suspect, searched her twice, put her in the back of his car.
But Harden still found a way to get a gun and nearly blow his head off.
It’s scary to think about how far some criminals will go when they’re cornered.
Deputy Guillard is alive today because he kept his cool and fought back after getting shot in the face.
Deputies and police officers deal with this kind of threat every time they put on the uniform.
One minute they’re writing a speeding ticket, the next minute someone’s trying to kill them.
These men and women put themselves in harm’s way to protect the rest of us, but all they hear about is how bad they supposedly are.
Deputy Guillard’s story shows exactly why we need to back our police instead of tearing them down.
Marion County almost lost a good deputy because one criminal decided she’d rather shoot her way out of trouble than face the consequences.
