Suspect dead in chase, deputy-involved shooting

A man is dead after deputies say he tried to ram his car into a deputy, causing the officer to open fire.

Witnesses said they saw a deputy fire several rounds into a vehicle outside the Coral Gardens Apartments, across from a Walmart on Wickham Road, near Sarno Road.

Wickham Road was shut down for hours from Sarno Road to Eau Gallie Boulevard while officers investigated the scene. The road reopened to traffic shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday.

It all started four hours earlier, around 4 a.m., when investigators said a deputy went to pull over Benjamin Dykeman, 31, for an unspecified traffic violation near Aurora Road and Wickham Road.

Investigators said as the deputy walked up to the car, Dykeman sped off down Wickham Road.

As the deputy pursued him, Dykeman crashed into a light pole, and then backed up toward Deputy. James Harrison, who was forced to fire his weapon.

Investigators said the suspect's car hit the rear, right side of the deputy's cruiser and drove into the apartment complex, where he crashed again.

That's where officers arrested Dykeman. He was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where he died.

"Based on his previous arrests, he was driving on a revoked license at the time, which is probably why he was trying to evade again," said Lt. Tod Goodyear from Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Dykeman's criminal history also included fleeing and eluding law enforcement, and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.

Florida Power and Light had to remove the light pole, and a resident at the Coral Gardens apartment complex said his car was damaged at the end of the police chase.

"The car, when we saw it, was one inch from the car," said Antonio Cassella. "So before it hit the three, it probably scratched it a little bit."

Investigators said Harrison was not injured. He is on administrative leave pending a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation.

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