Inmate Kills Broward Deputy In Escape, Officials Say

POMPANO BEACH - A routine inmate transport to court turned deadly in six minutes Wednesday after a convicted robber handcuffed in a medical transportation van stole a 76-year-old Broward County deputy's gun and then fatally shot him, officials said.

The suspect fled in the van, leading deputies on an hours-long manhunt before he was arrested.

Minutes after departing from a county jail about 8 a.m., Michael Mazza fought through a partition separating him from Deputy Paul Rein, the sole officer in the vehicle, Sheriff Al Lamberti said.

Rein was found bleeding in a Pompano Beach parking lot about 8 a.m. He had been shot once in the chest with his own weapon, Lamberti said. Rein had not been wearing a bulletproof vest.

Lamberti said it was a routine transport, done "400 to 500 times a day."

Rein was transported to North Broward Medical Center, where he died. He had other injuries, including a broken finger and bruises, suffered in the altercation, Lamberti said.

Mazza, 40, was arrested about four hours later at a pawn shop in Hollywood, Fla., Rein's gun in his possession. He was charged with first-degree murder and escape, and will be transferred to a maximum-security jail in Miami-Dade County.

"We all just feel it's probably better he be housed at another facility outside of Broward County," Lamberti said. Mazza acknowledged shooting the deputy, the sheriff said.

Mazza was already serving one life sentence for armed robbery and faced another in a trial under way at the Broward County Courthouse.

Mazza, dressed in a suit and tie, abandoned the van in Fort Lauderdale, then hitchhiked to Hollywood in several cars, Lamberti said.

The man who says he drove Mazza to Uptown Pawn told The Associated Press that he met Mazza at another pawn shop. Mazza asked for a lift.

Mazza was not wearing handcuffs and gave his name as "Tony," said the man, who identified himself as Mark.

Mazza by then had changed out of the suit and into a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers. It wasn't until Mark saw Mazza's picture on an Uptown Pawn television that he realized his passenger was a fugitive, Mark said. "I freaked out," he said. He and the manager called 911. Authorities quickly arrived, arresting Mazza. It wasn't known where he had gotten the change of clothes.

Rein's ex-wife, Mollie Meyers, 75, said, "He was a typical father, a typical husband, working very hard for his family."

This is the fourth South Florida law enforcement officer and the third in Broward shot in the past three months.