The chief said he will release the injured officer’s name after the suspect is caught.
“We don’t want to give any information out that the suspect might use for his purposes,” Debus said. “We have to guard against that. And it’s my job as the chief to protect my officers and to have their back.”
Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said the injured officer played an instrumental role in Manoushagian’s decision to pursue a career in law enforcement many years ago.
“I've been able to communicate with him by text message,” Manoushagian said. “My role is not to be a chief in this. It's to be a friend and a support for him. The impression I get: he's in good spirits. There's definitely a lot of outpouring support, which I'm thankful for. He'll recover. He's communicated to me that he's committed to getting back to the job and serving the Rhome community again.”