Update: The armed carjacking suspect, 32-year-old Joshua Lee Walker (DOB 8/8/91), succumbed to his injuries at the hospital last evening and is deceased. The Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force for the 10th Judicial Circuit continues to investigate.
The gun he was in possession of, with which he used to commit several felonies, was a loaded 9 mm Springfield, with a live round in the chamber and 10 live rounds in the 13-round capacity magazine. He is a convicted felon and not legally allowed to possess a firearm.
Walker had active Polk County warrants for: Harassing Communication, Grand Theft of a Firearm (2 Counts), Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Harassing a Witness/Victim. His criminal history includes eight felony convictions and two trips to FL state prison (from 2016 to 2018, and from 2018 to 2022).
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Sheriff Judd and Bartow PD Chief Andy Ray are briefing the media about the task force investigation of a BPD Officer-involved shooting on US Hwy 98 in Bartow. No officers were injured. The suspect is in a local hospital.
The suspect is Joshua Lee Thomas, DOB 8/8/91. He has been to state prison two times, with 8 prior felony convictions. His criminal history is 30 pages long. He had several active warrants when this incident occurred.
During the press conference explaining the situation Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd mentioned multiple times “Don’t Try That In A Small”. A very popular and controversial song. Here is the full press conference below.
According to Bartow Police Chief Andy Ray & Sheriff Grady Judd the suspect attempted to car jack multiple cars, rammed into cars and eventually pointed a gun at Bartow officers.
