HOLLYWOOD, FL – A potentially dangerous situation was diffused early Tuesday morning when a man suspected of causing a shooting incident involving the Seminole Police was captured near a Hollywood casino.
The drama unfolded just before 7 a.m. when officers were called to a medical emergency near the Seminole Classic Casino on State Road 7. The situation quickly escalated, forcing a Seminole Police officer to fire her weapon at the male suspect in the casino’s parking lot. The suspect managed to escape the scene, heading towards a commercial area to the west and south of the casino, situated south of Sterling Road.
Miraculously, there were no reported injuries from the gunfire. The Seminole Police Department, backed by the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Hollywood Police Department, managed to apprehend the suspect by 8:30 a.m.
The suspect was later identified as Solomon Eugene Terry, a 26-year-old man now facing charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. A spokesperson for the Seminole Police confirmed that Terry did not fire at the officer during the incident.
Public records indicate that Terry has a checkered past, with previous arrests on a variety of charges, including possession of a concealed weapon, drug trafficking, and resisting an officer without violence. These cases have all been resolved. In addition, Terry was sentenced to probation for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
One witness, Dee Thomas, provided a firsthand account of the shooting and shared cell phone video footage of the scene.
According to Thomas, he was playing the slots when he heard a commotion and saw law enforcement pursuing a man later identified as Evans. The suspect allegedly tried to reach the front exit, but an officer shot him in the middle of the casino floor. Thomas did not witness a direct threat from Evans. He captured part of the chaos on his camera as officers converged on the injured suspect.
In a news release, sheriff’s officials stated that a Chehalis tribal officer, attempting to execute an arrest warrant, shot Evans. The suspect had been accused of a 2022 murder, in which he allegedly shot a man with whom he had gotten into an argument over a car. Evans had a criminal record that included escape, burglary, bail jumping, identity theft, and assault.
The witness, Thomas, expressed his understanding of the seriousness of the situation, given the suspect’s history. However, he also emphasized his shock at the incident occurring in what was supposed to be a safe and secure public place. The tribal police declined to comment on the case or provide any details about the involved officer.