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Florida Man Accused Of Trying To Bribe Cop After Pepper-Spraying Baby

A routine trip to tow an illegally parked car ended up with a baby being pepper-sprayed, a false report of shots fired and the tow truck driver arrested on bribery charges.

It all began shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday, when Carmel Towing driver Ronald Tyler showed up to a large party to tow away illegally parked vehicles inside the Olive Glen Community complex in Pompano Beach.

Witnesses told the Broward Sheriff's Office that Tyler, 22, of Fort Lauderdale, argued with several people at the bounce-house party.

Tyler then loaded one of the cars that had been parked on a swale.

According to a sheriff's report, the car's owner, Daniel Sosa, told deputies he was trying to convince Tyler not to tow the vehicle, when Sosa suddenly was doused with what the report listed as a large "Police Magnum OC-17" pepper spray. A woman and her 1-year-old daughter also were sprayed, according to the report.

Those who were sprayed, including the baby, were taken to Broward Health North, where they were treated and released.

Tyler tried to convince a deputy not to arrest him by offering several bribes, the Sheriff's Office said. But it didn't work: Tyler was arrested on charges that include bribery and three counts of battery, the agency said.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Tyler said he fired the pepper spray to defend himself from an angry mob at the party. He said he never tried to bribe the deputy.

"When I got there, it was a zoo," Tyler said. "Everyone was drunk and turned on me."

Neither Sosa nor other partygoers could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Carmel Towing provides towing service for the Olive Glen apartment complex, and Tyler was dispatched when an association manager phoned the company to remove illegally parked cars, according to a Carmel Towing manager.

Tyler said he was hoisting Sosa's Nissan Xterra onto his truck, when the Xterra's owner jumped inside his car and drove it off the tow truck. He said it broke off the Xterra's bumper. According to Tyler, the car's owner accused him of breaking the bumper and took a swing at him, prompting Tyler to fire the pepper spray in defense. He said he didn't see any children when he fired the spray.

"I wanted to get out of there and call 911," he said.

After the encounter, Tyler phoned authorities to report that someone fired shots at him, which led to additional charges, officials said. He told Sheriff's Deputy M. Berman that he thought he "heard a pop."

"I am not sure," Tyler allegedly said. "It had to be a gun."

Deputies questioned Tyler's version of events and determined no one at the party fired a gun, the Sheriff's Office said. Tyler also was charged with issuing a false report during the commission of a crime and misuse of 911.

While being arrested, Tyler told Berman that he couldn't afford to go to jail.

"I know a drug dealer I can give you," Tyler told the deputy, according to the Sheriff's Office. When Berman said he wasn't in the narcotics unit, Tyler then allegedly said, "you can have all the cash in my wallet if you let me out of here."

In his report, Berman wrote that he initially ignored the offer, but Tyler again tried to bribe him five minutes later. "I'll call my job and have them sign over my $500 paycheck to you," Tyler said, according to the deputy.

Berman called his sergeant and told him to bring an audio recorder. Tyler then allegedly repeated the bribe, and it was recorded by the Sheriff's Office. A copy of the recording has not been made public.

Tyler denied trying to bribe Berman and said he didn't know he was being recorded. "We were having a conversation, and he tried to make it into something," he said.

After being freed from jail, Tyler said he was back at work Wednesday.

Tyler's manager, David Gonzalez, said he went to the scene Sunday and also described the crowd as being intoxicated. "My guy was trying to defend himself," Gonzalez said. "He did nothing wrong."