APOPKA, Fla. -- Orange County investigators are looking for a man who they say sucker-punched a deputy and took off. The sheriff's office said the deputy was responding to an illegal dumping call around 7:30pm Tuesday when he was flagged down by residents from a neighborhood near Country Rose Lane and McCormick Road (see map) in Apopka.

The residents told the deputy that a man was acting erratically and that's when the officer approached the individual and was punched in the face.

"When he approached this individual to talk to him, the individual swung at him, punched him in the face and then ran away," Lieutenant Vincent VanNess of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

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AT THE SCENE: Officers Search Area
RAW INTERVIEW: Lieutenant Describes Scenario
VIDEO REPORT: Man Punches Deputy

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Officers said they thoroughly searched the area for the suspect, but did not find anyone. Investigators said the suspect is a black male, in his early 20s, about 5-foot-8, thin and weighs approximately 140 pounds. The man was not wearing a shirt, but had on black shorts and shoes.

If the man is caught, deputies say, he faces a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer.

The deputy who was punched is okay.