PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – Bodycam footage shows the moment a chemical pipe bomb exploded on a Putnam County deputy during a traffic stop.
In April, 60-year-old Charles Legault was pulled over by a Putnam County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
In the video, the deputy first smelled marijuana and then asked Legault if he could search the truck.
Seconds later, the deputy found what he believed were drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Legault, then, is asked to get out of the truck. He is searched and then told to stand at the front of his truck while the deputy searched the rest of the vehicle.
The deputy found a handgun on the seat and more drugs. About 8 minutes and 45 seconds into the video, the deputy continued to search for drugs when the chemical pipe bomb exploded in his face.
The deputy struggled to breathe but managed to call for backup and place Legault into handcuffs.
The deputy’s uniform is covered in a white chemical powder as the deputy takes off his body armor.
The powder was believed to be chlorine. The deputy was taken to the hospital and treated for respiratory injuries.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said the deputy’s injuries could have been a lot worse.
“Had that been filled more or larger, or got in his eyes, you could talk about blindness and permanent things that could happen to him and permanent lung damage, depending on how close he is. You could see a struggle to breathe, and it just highlights how dangerous these traffic stops can be,” Hackney said. “I think everything was in this deputy’s favor that it had a successful outcome as much as it did. He wasn’t harmed worse than he was.”
The bomb squad was called to the scene to clear the area of any other explosives.
The next day, deputies raided Lagault’s house. They did not find any other bombs but did discover more illegal drugs.