A former Broward Sheriff's Office jail deputy was hospitalized under the state's Baker Act Tuesday after he posted a YouTube video saying he didn't want to be "the next Christopher Dorner," the Sun Sentinel reported.
The state's Baker Act allows a person to be held at an institution for up to 72 hours if they are believed to be a danger to themself or someone else.
In the video, Hicks accuses Sheriff Scott Israel and BSO of turning their back on him. He was arrested under charges of drug trafficking and then acquitted in 2001 but fired for misconduct related to the case shortly after, according to the Sun Sentinel.
"Please, somebody, intervene in this situation," Hicks said, according to the newspaper. "Because I don't know, time is running out....I pray and hope that somebody, somebody take a look at this video, and understand that I've been through so much, I don't know how much more I can take. I don't want to be the next Christopher Dorner. So I'm praying and asking someone to get involved. Please. God bless you."
Dorner, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer, was sought out in an extensive manhunt in 2013 after a series of revenge attacks on police officers and their families. In a 11,400-word manifesto published online, Dorner described his strategy for hunting down police officers who he believed betrayed him, and their families.
In his video, Hicks said he did not condone taking innocent lives, but said he wasn't sure how much he could take before he snapped.
"It was at that time that I told my mom I went and bought an AK with 180 rounds," Hicks said, according to the Sun Sentinel. "I said, 'You might as well get your black dress because I'll tell you right now, I cannot take this no more. These people have literally ruined my life for something I haven't done.' ... I said, 'How much more can I take, mom, before I snap?'"
Hicks told the Sun Sentinel he was arrested by a SWAT team as he was walking to his car to go to work Tuesday. He said they aimed assault rifles at him and shouted at him to get on the ground in front of his 10 year-old son.
"First and foremost my job will always be the public safety and the protection of the residents of Broward County," Israel said at a BSO memorial Thursday. "The video spoke for itself, especially in the time that we live in, so I acted upon it."
Israel said he isn't sure what the next step will be for Hicks, but that he most likely faces a medical evaluation.
"It's a sad situation. Ray's a friend of mine," Israel said. "Ray's a very good person who's in a very bad place right now and we hope and pray that things work out for him and his family."
It was not immediately known if Hicks has an attorney.
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