Florida man armed with machete shot dead by cops after home invasion

A Florida man wielding a machete was shot dead by police after he allegedly broke into a home, crawled into bed with the homeowner and wounded an officer on Thursday morning, officials said.

The homeowner was asleep in an apartment attached to his home in Fruitville when he suddenly awoke around 9:30 a.m. to find a stranger inside sharpening a machete on a baseball bat, The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said

“I have an intruder that broke into my home. He’s got a damn machete and he’s a little whacked,” the homeowner said in a 911 call, ABC13 reported.

While the homeowner was on the phone with dispatchers, he fled outside. Police arrived minutes later and found the deranged suspect still inside with the machete, according to the sheriff’s office.

“I woke up on a mattress and there’s a guy lying next to me saying, ‘I love you’,” he continued. “I’m weirded out. He’s got my machete in his hand. Boy, thank God they got here quick.”

When four deputies arrived, the suspect approached them with the machete and sliced a deputy in the hand causing “severe injuries,” police said.

At that point two deputies opened fire and killed the suspect.

The injured officer was taken to a local hospital where he will undergo surgery, officials said.

“I pray to God he doesn’t lose his fingers or his hand. I can tell you it’s not life-threatening, but they are critical injuries,” Kaitlyn Perez with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office told ABC13.