Suspect killed in gun battle with deputy outside St. Pete home; second suspect arrested

One suspect is dead and another is in jail after they ambushed a veteran deputy with an AR-15 rifle outside of a home in Pinellas County, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

The shooting happened around 9:30 Thursday night, but the sequence of events began a half-hour earlier. According to deputies, it was just after 9 p.m. when a Lexus fled from a traffic stop at Harn Boulevard and U.S. 19 in Clearwater. The officer did not chase the car, nor did a Largo police officer who spotted it a few minutes later on U.S. 19 at Whitney Road.

Based on the registration, detectives tracked the car to a home on 36th Street South, just south of 22nd Ave. South, in St. Petersburg. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Task Force happened to be in the area and responded to the neighborhood.

Weapons recovered at the scene, allegedly dropped by the suspects (via PCSO).

The sheriff’s office said Deputy Richard Curry Jr. parked his unmarked car in an alleyway. That’s when a man walked up to the car and asked Curry if he was a “troll.” The deputy replied that he was a law enforcement officer, and the man went back inside.

Moments later, deputies say, the same man came out of the house, along with a second man – both pointing guns at Curry.

Curry bailed out of his patrol car and exchanged fire with the men at a range of about 10 yards. Both suspects took off running, still firing, before dropping a semi-automatic handgun and what the sheriff's office said was an AR-15 rifle.

Part of the exchange was caught on by the dash camera in a passing Lyft driver's vehicle. Gunshots can be heard on the footage, then Curry can be seen firing several shots. 

“I heard what I thought were firecrackers,” driver James Leigh told FOX 13. “Then I see the muzzle flashes; it was his handgun as he was returning fire, then I heard other shots being fired back at him. Then I put the car in reverse and got out of there.”

A stream of law enforcement officers can then be seen arriving as Leigh steers away from the scene.

Photos via PCSO

Responding deputies found one of the suspects, later identified as Marquis Golden, dead behind the home. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the 29-year-old had 36 prior felony arrests.

A police dog tracked the second suspect to the roof, still armed with a .40-caliber handgun.

Delvin Ford, 22, was taken into custody without incident. His address on 36th Street S was associated with the vehicle's registration. He has nine prior felony arrests.

"You got a couple of bad guys who were going to kill a cop," Gualtieri concluded. "Doesn't get much closer than this."

Deputy Curry, a military veteran, was not hurt. As usual, he'll be placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Gualtieri said Friday that investigators do not believe Golden and Ford were directly involved with the initial traffic stop in Clearwater.