Hollywood police officer, suspect in fatal altercation identified

Police: Officer Alexis Ramirez suffered severe head injury, currently on medical leave from force

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A Hollywood police officer who was injured during a fatal altercation with a suspect on Monday has been identified as Alexis Ramirez.

Ramirez has been on the force for less than a year. Police said he was hit in the head with an object by the deceased suspect, Daniel Tyson, 30, while responding to a disturbance at an apartment complex in the 1800 block of Jackson Street.

It took 13 staples to close Ramirez's wound.

Police said dispatchers received multiple phone calls about a man displaying erratic behavior. When they arrived, officers found Tyson walking around naked. Some callers told dispatchers that at one point, Tyson appeared to be having a conversation with trees.

Police would not say what kind of object Tyson used to hit the officer, but one of the responding cops stunned Tyson with a Taser after they said he attacked Ramirez. Tyson was pronounced dead shortly after at a nearby hospital.

A friend of Tyson's said he was a good person who suffered from mental illness. She said things started "spiraling out of control" for him in the last few days.

An autopsy is expected to be performed to determine the cause of death.

The officer, who is considered a probationary officer, a term given to newly hired cops, has been released from the hospital. His age is not being released, but police said he is on medical leave from the force and will need ongoing rehab.

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About the Author:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.