Bradenton, FL, USA - April, 16.

In a significant breakthrough, the suspect implicated in the June 2023 shooting and armed kidnapping case at Tropicana Bradenton is now in police custody. Identified as 51-year-old Demetrius Tyrone Bell, he was apprehended in Bradenton early Tuesday following a tense pursuit that nearly saw him slide off a roof.

The events leading to Bell's arrest trace back to June 5, 2023, when he perpetrated a shooting at the plant, inflicting serious injuries on a male coworker. Subsequently, Bell forcibly abducted a female coworker, who was later released in Hillsborough County. Since then, Bell had evaded law enforcement, remaining a fugitive from justice.

Monday night, the Bradenton Police Department’s Crime Reduction Team received intelligence suggesting Bell's return to Bradenton. Despite his attempts to flee, Bell was eventually located clinging to the roof of a storage facility in the 2800 block of Manatee Ave. E. With the aid of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit, officers secured Bell, who was then assisted to the ground by the fire department and subsequently arrested. The collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office's K9 Unit, played a pivotal role in the successful operation.