Pinellas sheriff: St. Pete officers justified in taser death after 'extremely violent fight'

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says St. Pete police officers were justified in the death of a 48-year-old man following an "extremely violent" fight with police. 

Use of force investigation

What we know:

Gualtieri presented findings Monday from an investigation into the Aug. 22 death of Bryan Pepal. Medical examiners ruled the 48-year-old's manner of death a homicide caused by traumatic asphyxiation. Toxicology results confirmed Pepal had marijuana in his system. 

The sheriff's office classified the death as excusable homicide, stating Officers Daniel Poveda and Tammy Craig showed great restraint by using less lethal force. Body camera footage showed Pepal violently attacking the officers when they knocked on the door of his 5th Street North home.

Officers deployed tasers and handcuffed Pepal on the ground, but he became unresponsive shortly after and died at a hospital. Gualtieri said the officers never applied pressure to his neck. 

"Every homicide is not a murder and the medical examiner's office determined that the cause of death here is homicide," the sheriff said. 

"It's when somebody dies at the hands of another, which in this case were the lawful acts of the St. Petersburg Police Department officers in defending themselves and taking Pepal into custody," he continued. 

Both officers sustained injuries during the fight, with one requiring hospital treatment. 

Fight with St. Pete officers

The backstory:

Officers Poveda and Craig responded to the St. Pete home for a welfare check that was requested by Pepal's stepmother. This came after reports that Pepal was experiencing a mental health crisis and banging on neighbors' door saying he was "looking for pedophiles." He also threatened to cut off a neighbor's head with a machete, Gualtieri said.

Once they arrived, officers knocked on the door to Pepal's home. However, when the 48-year-old answered, he violently attacked both officers. Body camera released by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office after the investigation showed a dent in a nearby vehicle after the fight. 

"They could have shot him and been justified under those circumstances in doing it," Gualtieri said. "So, I think they used good training, good instincts, good judgment, tried to minimize. Like I said, they could have done that, but all they want to do is get this guy secured and get him to a better place than where he was. But it's just, one of those unfortunate, sometimes things happen."

History of mental health

Dig deeper:

Gualtieri did say during Monday's news conference that Pepal had a long history of mental health dating as far back as 10 years ago. He was diagnosed back then as having hallucinations and schizophrenia. 

His family said his mental health declined substantially after he was hit by a vehicle back in 2023, and he had a history of paranoid delusions and threatening behavior toward his neighbors.

 He was even Baker Acted back in 2025 for threatening neighbors, which is when he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, according to Gualtieri. He was also Baker Acted back in April after he was seen chasing passing cars, yelling at people to "come and get me."

The sheriff also said Pepal would refuse to take his medication and would lapse into these types of mental health episodes. 

St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway was asked during the news conference why the department's Community Assistance and Life Liaison (CALL) program wasn't deployed in this instance. While the program is usually for mental health crisis calls, the chief said Pepal had already made threats of violence, so the civilian team wouldn't have been sent. 

Pinellas CountyCrime and Public Safety