TITUSVILLE, Fla. — The identities of two people who were charged in connection with an officer-involved shooting in Titusville were released Friday.
Ariel Smith posted her 25,000 bail after she was arrested on charges of striking an officer with her vehicle, and her passenger, Richard Arjona, is also facing charges.
Richard Arjona faced a judge Friday afternoon.
Police said a traffic stop led to shots fired outside a popular restaurant.
Families with young children said they ran for cover.
Titusville police said two officers opened fire on a vehicle after the driver, Smith, tried to run over an officer.
Police said it started with a report of shots fired near an apartment complex, leaving police working three crime scenes, covering about five miles.
Police shot a suspect outside the El Leoncita restaurant, while people inside the restaurant on South Washington Avenue sheltered their children.
“We noticed Titusville police coming up on them with their guns drawn,” said witness Robin Chesnut.
That was all the warning customers inside El Leoncita had before bullets flew outside the Mexican restaurant at about 6 p.m.
“Then, we heard the, ‘Pop, pop, pop!’ That's it,” Edson said.
People got their children to safety as police unloaded on a silver Volkswagon in the parking lot.
A few minutes earlier, police said they were responding to a shooting at an apartment complex on Sycamore Avenue.
As they pulled up, Smith's car pulled away, authorities said.
As officers followed, Arjona bailed out on foot, and police said they chased him down.
Police said the car kept going all the way to El Leoncita.
Smith initially complied with officers, until they tried to arrest her, police said.
“She immediately fled back in the car, threw it in drive and drove right at one of our officers,” said Titusville Police Chief John Lau.
Other officers opened fire, pumping eight bullets into the side of the car, before Smith got away.
But police picked her up at a nearby bank not far away.
“This driver, if she would have stopped her vehicle and done what the officer said, we wouldn't be here talking right now,” said Lau.
Police said the pair were at the apartment complex when an argument broke out. According to court documents, Smith was there to pay a debt. While they were there police said Arjona got into an argument with another man. That's when police said Arjona retrieved a weapon and started firing.
Arjona claims he opened fire in self-defense.
No one was injured in either shooting.