A man allegedly blew fentanyl into a Marion County deputy’s face during a routine stop outside a Publix in Ocala, as shown in body-camera footage released by the sheriff’s office.
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The suspect, identified as Jesse James McAuliffe, had an active violation of probation warrant and was arrested.
MCSO said deputies noticed signs of drug use, including a tie-off falling from his arm and syringes in his car.
A deputy found a bag of fentanyl in McAuliffe’s pocket, which he claimed was sugar.
The video shows a deputy finding a bottle cap filled with melted fentanyl that was in another pocket which the suspect then blew “directly into Deputy Qubaisy’s face,” according to the sheriff’s office.
MCSO said this action was an attempt to destroy evidence.
McAuliffe remains in jail on charges including fentanyl possession and tampering with evidence.
The deputy was evaluated and is okay, and officials stress that brief incidental contact with fentanyl is unlikely to cause an overdose.
The incident has sparked calls for clearer protocols and stronger protective gear for law enforcement and medical workers.
McAuliffe is awaiting court proceedings in the Marion County Jail.
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