Suspect, shot 6 times by bondsman, drives on

Police say two bondsmen, one of whom was run over, appear to have been acting within their authority.

By JOSH ZIMMER

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 2, 2001

TAMPA -- A bondsman cornered a wanted man in the garage of a Tampa home about 8 a.m. Sunday.

He yelled at Simuel Howard to give up, but Howard revved the engine of the GMC Jimmy parked inside and pushed the garage door remote.

Bondsman George Muratides held down the garage door, but Howard wouldn't get out of the vehicle.

Instead, Howard ran over Muratides and smashed through the garage door, police said.

The bondsman's partner, Richard Middleton, ran up and ordered Howard to stop. When Howard refused, Middleton shot him six times.

That didn't stop Howard. Bleeding from the head and shoulders, he drove a quarter-mile from the home at 2608 22nd Ave. to his sister's house at 2915 E Lake Ave. before collapsing, police said.

"We were just trying to do our job and apprehend a convicted felon," said Neil Rosenberg, who owns Rosenberg Bail Bonds and employs both bondsmen.

Muratides, 50, the injured bondsman, was in fair condition at Tampa General Hospital with a skull fracture and broken leg. Howard, 40, was in critical condition late Sunday at Tampa General.

The bondsmen had pursued Howard because he had skipped a recent court date after his arrest on charges of possession and distribution of cocaine. Now he can add an attempted murder charge to his record, Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin said. Howard's record includes a second-degree murder conviction in the mid 1980s.

Although police will determine whether the shooting was justified, Durkin said, the bondsmen were entitled to be at the house, where Howard's girlfriend lives.

Muratides was let into the house, then saw Howard heading to the garage.

"The investigation is under way, but preliminarily, it appears they were acting within the scope of their authority as bail bondsmen," Durkin said.

Rosenberg strongly backed Middleton, saying he fired at Howard to save Muratides' life.

Howard "tried twice to run him over and kill him," Rosenberg said. "How could we not be right? He had every opportunity to turn himself in. If he would have done this, this would have been avoided. My guys know you don't shoot somebody when they're running away. You catch them some other time. It's not worth it."

Bail bonding is a sometimes controversial business, especially after shootings occur.

By providing money for people who want to stay out of jail until their court dates and retrieving them when they flee or violate probation, bonding companies are an integral part of law enforcement. However, they can operate outside of normal police procedures. They are licensed in Florida, and they can carry weapons and take people into custody.

"With all those bullets going around, you could have shot anybody," said Eugene Leath, who lives three houses away and was awakened by the gunfire. "They got more rights than police do. They're like bounty hunters."

Muratides and Middleton are veteran employees, Rosenberg said.

Muratides, who has two grown children, has worked for him about seven years, Rosenberg said. Rosenberg said his sister is married to Muratides' brother.

"He's a nice . . . easygoing guy," Rosenberg said. "Works hard."

Middleton, a National Guard member, is about 30, Rosenberg said. An employee for about five years, Middleton recently married and is seeking a chemical engineering degree at the University of South Florida.

Neighbors said Sunday all they wanted was a return to peace and quiet on their street.

Addie Henderson, who has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years, said she feels lucky to have avoided the shooting. She was walking by the house on her way to church just as the bondsmen arrived.

"This is quiet up here, ordinarily," she said.

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