In the early hours of Feb. 20, officials of the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office stopped a car as part of routine operations. Little did they know at that moment that they were on the cusp of nabbing a wanted fugitive. Brian “Sonny” Hewson had been on the run for 14 years and was wanted in connection with the death of Stephen Lepore in Monroe County, Pa.
Officials stopped the vehicle near Harbor Boulevard and Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte, per Inquisitr. Authorities initially asked the woman behind the wheel for the rental car agreement and ID. The unnamed woman complied with the orders. Nonetheless, she was reportedly nervous because authorities had previously taken her into custody in Lee County, Fla., for fraud. The driver had also allegedly cashed checks belonging to deceased individuals, per the media outlet.
However, the man in the passenger seat seemed unwilling to listen to orders. A brief background check revealed he was a fugitive. Hewson had several felony warrants against him issued in Florida and Pennsylvania. The 51-year-old was living with a new identity and had managed to deceive his partner, who told officers that she was unaware that the man next to her was a fugitive.
Hewson mounted resistance when officers tried to arrest him
Officers attempted to take Hewson into custody after identifying him. However, the 51-year-old “resisted and struggled with officers” when they attempted to arrest him, per Fox 56. At one point, the fugitive pulled out a Kel-Tec P17 .22-caliber handgun and pointed it at the officers. However, the firearm did not go off even when the man appeared to pull the trigger, per authorities as reported by the media outlet. The officers finally deployed tasers to bring him under control…