MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A 22-year-old accused of shooting at a deputy while handcuffed is now in the Marion County Jail.
Deputies said Rheanna Harden was “flexible” enough to grab a gun from her pants and open fire as she was inside of a deputy cruiser.
The Marion County Sheriff’s office said the incident began with a traffic stop in Summerfield before 2:30 a.m. on Monday.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a deputy arrested Harden for driving with a suspended license, providing a fake ID to law enforcement and for possessing drugs.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, even though Harden was handcuffed behind her back, and patted down before her arrest, she was able to shoot at a deputy using a small caliber handgun hidden in her pants.
The Sheriff’s Office said a bullet grazed the deputy, but he is already out of the hospital.
Despite losing control of his vehicle and crashing it into a utility pole, the Sheriff’s office said the deputy managed to get out of his vehicle and return fire.
The shooting happened in the 2900 block of South Pine Avenue in Ocala.
“It’s scary to know what could have happened if she had a better shot,” said Valerie Strong, Public Information Officer with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, “We’re just very thankful that he only received a graze and he’s going to be able to go home to his family.”
Strong told Channel 9 Harden was shot in the shoulder and hip area.
She was taken to the hospital but released Monday afternoon and booked into the Marion County Jail.
Court records obtained by Channel 9 shows Harden has tried to run from police before.
Harden’s criminal history dates to at least 2020 where she’s accused of leading a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper on a chase in Bay County.
Harden faced charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing with injury or damage, and possession of cocaine related to that case.
She was also arrested in 2022 on charges of fleeing and eluding police, possession synthetic marijuana, and carrying a concealed firearm.
According to Department of Corrections records, Harden was sentenced to more than two years in prison on those charges and was released on July 1, 2024.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the Marion County Crash and Harden is likely to face additional charges related to Monday’s shooting.Corrections
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