Officials say a man was hospitalized after he was shot by officers Monday afternoon in Clearwater.
Jamaal Bishop, 28, is being treated at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg for injuries described as not life-threatening.
Investigators say Bishop had gone into the Fifth Third Bank on Indian Rocks Boulevard in Belleair. The tellers became suspicious of him due to a bulge in his pocket, so they called deputies.
Deputies confronted him on foot, and Bishop pushed one of them and ran, officials said.
About a half-mile later, he encountered officers, who warned him multiple times to stop. Instead, they say he turned around and fired at officers, who fired back.
Officials said the officers held fire while they were in a high-traffic area, and that the gunfire exchange happened after they moved into a less-populated area.
"We were just sitting outside on the patio and all of the sudden I heard gunshots," said witness Jeffrey Deronda. "It was like four shots in a row. Scary, very scary."
No deputies were injured in the shooting, although one of them did sustain a hand injury of some sort.
Police Chief Bill Sohl saidthe bank employees did the right thing by calling in a suspicious person.
Bishop has a criminal background dating back to 2006 for charges including burglary, trespassing, and possession of a weapon on school property. Bishop was just released from jail earlier this month.