Body cam video shows Sarasota police officer shoot man with knife after Publix incident

Sarasota Police Department has released body camera footage and additional details after police say an officer shot a robbery suspect who was advancing towards him with a knife on Tuesday.

The incident happened shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday morning in the parking lot of Homewood Suites at 3470 Fruitville Road in Sarasota.

The suspect was identified Wednesday as 71-year-old Robert Briandi of Sarasota.

An armed robbery attempt in the parking lot of a nearby Publix brought police to the scene. An 83-year-old woman told police that a man, now identified as Briandi, attempted to take her purse and threatened to cut her with a shiny object in his hand. As the two struggled, the woman was scratched several times, police said.

Several bystanders witnessed the attack and one of them, an unidentified man, approached and yelled at Briandi, who let go of the purse and started walking away. The bystander followed Briandi and began filming him on a cell phone while also dialing the police.

The bystander later told police that Briandi threatened him several times with a knife. The bystander followed Briandi all the way across Fruitville Road, where police were waiting in the hotel parking lot.

An unidentified officer gave Briandi repeated orders to get on the ground. Briandi ignored them and continued to advance towards the officer, knife in hand, before the officer fired a shot that struck Briandi.