A deputy-involved shooting in Fort Lauderdale ended fatally for a man identified as 64-year-old Robert Drangel, who reportedly stole a car and assaulted his estranged wife prior to being shot by law enforcement. According to WSVN, the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) stated that the shooting took place on Saturday near the Tri-Rail station in the vicinity of Southwest 21st Avenue.
Drangel, who was under a court-ordered ankle monitor following an arrest for aggravated stalking, had a documented history of domestic violence, as per the BSO. In the events leading to the confrontation, Drangel had also pointed a gun at his estranged wife and another woman, igniting a chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies after fleeing the scene in one of the victim's cars. While the deputies involved fired their weapons feeling threatened by Drangel, who was driving the stolen vehicle, they are currently on administrative duty pending an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, informed NBC Miami.
The incident reportedly began with a domestic aggravated assault call at a residence on Granville Drive in Tamarac. Authorities later located Drangel and pursued him near Hollywood Boulevard and Interstate 95. The pursuit culminated in a PIT maneuver executed by a BSO deputy near the Tri-Rail station, resulting in a confrontation and the subsequent shooting.
Residents nearby recounted the tense moments leading up to the gunfire. "We heard pop, pop, pop, pop," Wayne Solan, a local resident, told NBC Miami. "A minute, a minute and half later, two very loud, sounded like flash bangs. Then just sirens, cars coming in from every angle." The BSO deputies, now on administrative assignment, will remain where they are until the FDLE's investigation into the incident, which is standard practice in police shootings, is resolved.
