Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy shot in hand and leg

BOYNTON BEACH — A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy is being treated for gunshot wounds to his hand and leg.

The shooting happened as deputies responded to a home in a gated community near Jog Road and Woolbright Road about noon Wednesday.

Thomas Robarge, 61, opened fire on deputies as they arrived to serve a domestic warrant at a home in the 5500 block of Fairway Park Drive, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Robarge was damaging cars in the neighborhood and deputies were going to arrest him for those crimes, said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

Deputies were going to conduct surveillance on the home to see if they could catch him coming out, according to Bradshaw. Just before 1 p.m., deputies knocked on the door and Robarge’s brother, Timothy, came to the door and let them in.

Once inside the house, shots rang out of the corner a bedroom, striking a deputy in the leg and hand.

Deputies then returned fire.

Robarge remained barricaded in the home for about an hour until he surrendered peacefully after tear gas was deployed into the house.

He’s facing three counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, Bradshaw said. Deputies will execute another search warrant at the house to find any other guns Robarge may have had and to search his computer.

The deputy had surgery at Delray Medical Center and is expected to recover. The Sheriff’s Office did not identify him but said he has worked for the department for six years.

Two deputies who returned fire are currently on administrative leave, which is standard department protocol. The Sheriff’s Office did not identity those deputies.

WPEC-Ch. 12 is a news partner of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

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