Deputy whose hand was severely injured was to undergo surgery this week
The suspect in an Aug. 18 armed robbery on Richardson Way in Sarasota, who died at the scene, has been identified as Tyler Casey Sweeney, 29, of 4801 Fruitville Road, #103, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has reported.
“He has no known prior arrests or criminal history,” Kaitlyn R. Perez, community affairs director for the Sheriff’s Office, wrote in an Aug. 19 update. “Next of kin has been notified.”
Sweeney allegedly broke into an efficiency apartment and was holding a machete when the homeowner awoke to find Sweeney in bed with him, the resident told the 911 dispatcher that morning.
The homeowner added that the machete was his. The homeowner also told the 911 dispatcher that Sweeney was “a little whacked.”
When deputies arrived on the scene, Sweeney came at them with the machete, striking one of them in the hand, resulting in severe injuries, the Sheriff’s Office reported. The other officers shot Sweeney in self-defense, a news release said.
The Aug. 19 update noted that the Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the armed burglary and the subsequent officer-involved shooting.
“The deputy injured by the machete has received medical care,” Perez wrote in the Aug. 19 email. However, she added, because of “swelling and risks of infection,” his surgery was delayed until Aug. 23.
As of the deadline for this issue, The Sarasota News Leader was unable to learn anything further about the deputy’s condition.
In checking the location of Sweeney’s address, the News Leader found that it is part of the Bergamot Apartments, a complex constructed in 2020, the Sarasota County Property Appraiser’s Office says. The building is just west of Richardson Way, as shown in an aerial map.
According to apartments.com, The Bergamot has monthly rents from $1,450 to $2,240, with units ranging from 615 to 1,194 square feet.
In an online search, the only Tyler Sweeney in Sarasota that the News Leader could find identified himself as a “professional for hire” on a LinkedIn account. That Sweeney listed SitusAMC as his employer, noting that he had been with the company full-time for two years and eight months. He had been promoted a couple of times since January 2020, the account added.
On its website, SitusAMC says it “is the go-to partner for the commercial and residential real estate finance industry, providing innovative, trusted solutions that power more efficient, effective, and agile businesses.”
The LinkedIn account did not include a photo or any other details; therefore, the News Leader was unable to ascertain that the Tyler Sweeney with that account was the same person involved in the Aug. 18 incident.