What started as a normal day at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Fort Lauderdale took a turn for the worse when local police received a devastating call on March 21.
“Go ahead, 10-4 referencing the 13 (suspicious) incident,” announced the dispatcher. “Caller stating he has guns and will start shooting at whoever is at his front door.”
Fort Lauderdale Police Department officers rushed to the hotel, located at 1500 SE 17th Street Causeway, responding to a call from suspect Karl Chludinsky, who claimed he had killed someone in his room.
Recently released footage from the FLPD reveals that the deputies made several attempts at peaceful contact with Chludinsky, ultimately failing. When the 46-year-old suspect opened his door, revealing an empty room and a gun in his hand, he immediately opened fire.
Multiple shots were fired back and forth by both Chludinsky and the FLPD. A picture from the footage shows a bullet from the suspect’s gun striking Officer Jack Dicristofalo’s bulletproof vest.
Chludinsky was killed. While there were no other fatalities, three officers present sustained several injuries and were transported to the Broward Health Medical Center where they were treated and discharged later that afternoon.
They received administrative leave with pay pending investigations by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and an internal review, as per department policy.
