Early Monday in Winter Haven, what started as a domestic shooting call at an apartment complex on Gowan Drive quickly spiraled into a scene straight out of a police procedural, according to investigators.
Officers say they arrived around 3:28 a.m. to find blood near a stairwell, shell casings outside the building and two young children still inside the apartment. A man with a knife wound was transported to a local hospital while officers moved to secure the scene and safeguard the kids.
Police identified 29-year-old Unique Lashiah Isaac as the suspect and detained her at the complex. She was handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car, but investigators say that is where things took a wild turn. According to reporting by the Tampa Free Press, Isaac slipped out of her restraints, climbed through the interior partition into the front of the vehicle and got out through the passenger door before taking off on foot through the complex.
Foot chase turns into fight over gun
Officers chased Isaac across the property, and what was a pursuit quickly became a struggle. Police say that during the scuffle, Isaac grabbed at an officer’s holstered handgun and refused to let go of the holster. At that point, officers used strikes and a Taser in an effort to regain control and re-detain her.
Winter Haven Police Chief Vance Monroe later called it “a very scary incident for our victim and the children,” adding that he was proud of how officers worked to secure the scene and contain the situation. According to the Tampa Free Press, Isaac was tased twice, and it ultimately took multiple officers to place leg restraints on her and double-secure her hands.
Felony charges and what happens next
After the confrontation, police say Isaac was taken to a hospital for medical clearance and then booked into the Polk County Jail. She faces several felony counts, including domestic battery with a deadly weapon, escape, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.
The Office of the State Attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit will review the case and decide whether to formally file charges, which is standard procedure for felony arrests in Polk County. Information on local detention and booking can be found through the Polk County Sheriff's Office, while prosecution details and case handling in the region are available from the Office of the State Attorney, 10th Judicial Circuit.
