Shooter of Coral Springs Cop Has Violent Past

On a holiday weekend for honoring those who would put themselves in harm's way for the good of the nation, it's a relief that Officer Paul Kempinski will survive his encounter with a man armed for war. The Coral Springs cop was wounded Saturday while chasing Yancy Polk, fleeing a...

By Thomas Francis

May 25, 2009

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On a holiday weekend for honoring those who would put themselves in harm's way for the good of the nation, it's a relief that Officer Paul Kempinski will survive his encounter with a man armed for war. The Coral Springs cop was wounded Saturday while chasing Yancy Polk, fleeing a crashed car following his alleged participation in the armed robbery of an auto parts store. Polk is being charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting Kempinski with an assault rifle strong enough to puncture the officer's body armor.

The incident would seem the grand, tragic finale in Polk's recent criminal arc: an October 2006 civil case for domestic violence, a felony charge for solicitation of armed robbery in February 2007, misdemeanor battery a few months after that, and a child support collection case last year.

Here's video from CBS4 that shows the scene of the car crash and the home in Maplewood Isle where Polk is alleged to have taken four hostages before his mother helped police negotiate his surrender. It seems Kempinski will make a full recovery.

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