ORLANDO, Fla. — A 22-year-old man fired multiple gunshots Wednesday morning before barricading himself in a car near the Lake Nona development, the Orlando Police Department said.
Police received a call shortly before 8 a.m. that a man was shooting from a vehicle at Randal Park Boulevard and Dowden Road, Deputy Police Chief Robert Anzueto said.
A report said he also pointed a gun at a lawn care worker.
The man, later identified as 22-year-old Stephanos Carellas, pointed the gun at officers who pulled up behind him, so they retreated and called for backup, Anzueto said.
Investigators said the agency's SWAT team surrounded the car with armored vehicles and ordered Carellas to surrender.
A witness, who asked not to be identified, told Channel 9 that police continually tried to talk Carellas out of the vehicle during the standoff.
"They kept telling him to please cooperate with them, to bring the weapon down, that they would provide him with the services he needs," the witness said. "But he wouldn't come out."
Investigators said officers saw through binoculars that Carellas' gun had jammed, so they sprayed a gas at least twice to try to lead to his surrender.
Carellas opened the car door with the loaded gun in hand, and police shot him with a bean-bag gun multiple times to "knock him off his kilter," Anzueto said.
Police said Carellas was arrested two hours after they were first called. He's charged with aggravated assault.
Anzueto said the situation could have turned out much worse for Carellas and innocent bystanders.
"A bullet can travel anywhere," he said. "We weren't sure what this guy was capable of doing. You take a gun and fire a bullet, it can go 2,000 feet."
The exit ramp from State Road 417 to Dowden Road was closed as a precaution. No one was injured.