Two Citrus County law enforcement officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney in connection with the April 6 shooting death of a Dunnellon-area man.

The incident ended with the death of Michael Ladon Wolff, 48, on County Road 484 in Marion County after a wild pursuit through Citrus County and into Marion County, and the regular exchange of gunfire between Wolff and pursing officers from several police agencies.

In his final ruling, State Attorney Brad King concluded that there was no wrongdoing on the part of Deputy Juan Berrios and Sgt. Ryan Glaze, the Citrus County deputies who exchanged gunfire with Wolff in Citrus and Marion counties, and during the entire vehicle pursuit.

The ruling notes the FDLE investigation revealed that Wolff was living with his mother, Irene Rash, and his son, Michael Wolff Jr. The son told FDLE officers his father had taken medication, "and a drink or two." He also said that shortly after midnight, the senior Wolff came into the room and had a look of anger in his eyes that frightened both him and Rash, his grandmother. He said he overhead his father on the phone talking to friends about suicide.

Both the son and Rash decided to sit in the car, which they did until 4:30 a.m. They decided things had calmed down enough to go back inside, and went to bed. At about 5 a.m., Wolff came into the bedroom and took the keys to Rash's car. At some point, Rash and the elder Wolff got into an altercation in the hallway, and Wolff is said to have produced a hunting knife, then cut the home's phone line.

Rash and her grandson fled to a neighbor's home to use a phone to call her daughter. The older Wolff came to that home and pounded on the door to get in, but eventually gave up and went back to his home.

Two CCSO deputies were called to the scene, Michael Gilman and Juan Berrios. Gilman talked with Rash, who said Wolff "was losing his mind and going crazy." The deputy went to Wolff's home, and saw Wolff driving from the back yard in a Dodge pickup truck. Wolff was told to stop, which he did. But Wolff then began yelling at the officer incoherently and at one point produced a black handgun, and then drove slowly drove off - firing shots as he did. Both deputies returned fire, but Wolff got away.

That began a wild high-speed chase over several roads in Citrus County, and into a portion of Marion County on County Road 484. Other deputies from Citrus and Marion counties joined the chase, as well as the Florida Highway Patrol and Dunnellon Police Department.

Several attempts were made to use stop sticks to disable Wolff's truck. Eventually, one of those attempts worked, puncturing the tires on the passenger side of Wolff's truck, but Wolff kept driving on the rims, and sparks were seen coming from the truck.

Wolff is said to have fired shots at two cars and a school bus which had pulled off the roadway to allow the chase to pass. Wolff also fired shots at Deputy Berrios' patrol car. One shot went through Berrios' patrol car's windshield, but the deputy ducked, and the bullet struck the deputy's headrest.

Authorized by Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy to use deadly force if necessary, Sgt. Glaze joined Deputy Carlos Valdes as a passenger in Valdes' patrol car, armed with an AR-15 rifle and submachine gun to stop Wolff's truck. Sgt. Glaze fired about 20 rounds from the rifle from the patrol car's window that shattered Wolff's window, but Wolff kept driving.

At a point when there were two school buses on the roadway, Sgt. Glaze saw muzzle flashes coming from Wolff's truck, indicating Wolff was firing at the school buses. Then Wolff began to slow down, and Sgt. Glaze got out of the patrol car and fired another 21 rounds from the submachine gun at Wolff's truck. At least one witness said they heard gunfire coming from Wolff's truck at that same time.

Wolff's truck eventually stopped, and a FHP trooper was the first to reach him. The trooper saw Wolff, motionless, and with a gun in his right hand. The trooper took the gun from Wolff's hand, and Wolff was placed on the ground. Law enforcement officers saw Wolff was bleeding from a head wound, but still breathing. EMS arrived to treat Wolff and airlifted him to Shands Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy by the Medical Examiner's office in Leesburg revealed Wolff had suffered two bullet wounds, one to the right side of his head and one to the back. The fatal wound was the one to the head, which was ruled a suicide, caused by Wolff himself.

The FDLE investigation into the incident showed that Wolff had a significant criminal history, consisting mostly of minor crimes and violations, as well as battery, possession of a controlled substance and burglary. He also had a history of mental problems and was under a doctor's care.

In his ruling, State Attorney King said that Deputy Berrios and Sgt. Glaze were permitted to use deadly force if they felt it necessary to prevent death or bodily harm to themselves or others. The ruling notes Berrios was fired upon from the time the chase first began to when it ended. The ruling also notes he narrowly missed a bullet, and that Wolff fired shots at pursuing deputies and at civilians who had pulled off the road. In King's opinion, Wolff showed a complete disregard for the safety of others.

"It is clear that law enforcement had every reason to fear that death or great bodily harm would come to someone if they did not utilize deadly force," State Attorney King wrote. "It is my opinion that the use of deadly force was necessary to prevent this harm. It is also noted that the wound which caused the death of Wolff was self-inflicted, rather than being the result of shots fired by law enforcement.

"However, if it had been otherwise, my conclusion would necessarily have been the same," King wrote.

Related stories:

• Original Story
• Sheriff's Office releases name of man killed during domestic dispute, chase
• CCSO releases 911 call leading to Monday's shooting death
• Bay News 9 coverage and video