POLK COUNTY, FL — On Thursday, January 16, 2020, PCSO detectives charged 36-year-old April Thompson with felony second degree murder (F-1), 2 counts armed robbery (F-Capital), and armed burglary (F-1), after a crime spree that began in Plant City and ended in Polk County. Her boyfriend was fatally shot during the crime spree by a PCSO deputy sheriff and she is being charged with the murder, per Florida State Statute.
According to her affidavit, around 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, PCSO received a BOLO out of the city of Plant City that a white male and white female suspect, both with warrants, fled from the scene of an armed carjacking in a stolen silver Toyota Tacoma. The BOLO contained information that the suspects were armed and dangerous, and fled Plant City after running over a Plant City Police Officer. The female suspect had also been shot by a Plant City Police Officer while the truck she was in with her boyfriend was fleeing, after his fellow officer was critically injured by them.
Further information was received that the suspects committed a second carjacking north of Plant City, in the unincorporated area, and were then in a blue Toyota truck.
At 1:40 p.m., a PCSO Deputy Sheriff who was in the Bailey Road area searching for the suspects, encountered both suspects in another stolen vehicle, a black Volkswagen, within a trailer park on Bailey Place, just off of Bailey Road in the Willow Oak (Mulberry) area. The male suspect pointed a gun at one of the victims and demanded their keys just prior to the deputy’s arrival.
While attempting to place the female suspect under arrest – 36-year-old April Thompson (DOB 4/14/83) – as she was sitting in the backseat of the car, the male suspect – 31-year-old Aaron Phillips (DOB 5/20/88) – refused the deputy’s commands to stop, grabbed the victim’s car keys, and got into the car in an attempt to escape.
The deputy went around to the driver’s side and struggled with Phillips, at which time he heard a female voice scream, “He’s got a gun!” several times, and observed the suspect reach down towards the floorboard. Deputy Sheriff Andre Jackson, in fear for his life, shot Phillips several times, and Phillips died at the scene.
April Thompson, who was in the backseat of the stolen vehicle, was also shot one time in the stomach.
She was taken to a local hospital to be treated for her two gunshot wounds (one to the leg by Plant City P.D. and one to the stomach by PCSO). She is in stable condition, and is being held on her multiple felony charges until she is physically booked into the Polk County Jail.
The handgun recovered from the floorboard was a loaded .45 caliber Sig Sauer.
Both of the suspects already had out-of-county warrants for their arrests before their multi-jurisdiction crime spree began. Aaron Phillips had Hillsborough (PCPD) warrants for armed false imprisonment, kidnapping, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and grand theft. He just got out of state prison after having served 3 years and 10 months. April Thompson had a Polk County warrant for VOP (grand theft and burglary), and a Hillsborough warrant for VOP (dangerous drugs).
