Pinellas deputy shoots at burglary suspect
SEMINOLE — A deputy shot at a burglary suspect late Sunday night, but the bullet did not hit him, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office says two deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle call in the Harbor Lights Mobile Home Park late Sunday night. They found the vehicle parked in a carport and saw someone moving in the dark mobile home at 4701 Harbor Lights Drive N in Seminole. They concluded that a burglary was in progress.
When a man emerged from the mobile home, Deputy Barnett Bernoff identified himself and held the suspect at gunpoint. The man turned around, and Bernoff thought he saw the barrel of a gun pointed at him. Bernoff shot once at the suspect but did not hit him, deputies say. The item in the man’s hand turned out to be a flashlight.
The man was identified as Michael Barravecchio, 28. He dropped to the ground after the deputy fired, and was arrested on burglary charges. Authorities suspect he may be responsible for other area burglaries.
Bernoff, 60, was placed on administrative leave with pay while the Sheriff’s Office investigates the shooting, which is standard procedure in deputy-involved shootings. Bernoff has worked for the Sheriff’s Office since 2000.
Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer
*