Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - 'Sneaky' Florida Woman Shoots at Deputy from Back of Cruiser

Episode Date: February 18, 2026

Rheanna Harden, 23, is going to prison for 40 years for a June 2025 incident in which she fired a gun at a deputy from the back of a cruiser. Harden slipped out of her handcuffs and was able to grab a gun she had stashed in her shorts. The intense incident happened in Marion County and led the deputy to fire back at Harden. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes through the body-worn camera footage in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5CRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Put your hands out the window. An intense standoff between a woman armed with a gun in the back of a sheriff's cruiser and deputies. Did you shoot at her? Yeah. Am I hit in the back? The woman slips her cuffs and ends up firing from the back seat. So are we here. I go through the heart-counding incident and how the suspect ended up with a gun in the back of a cruiser in the first place.

I said, listen, she had a gun where you can't check. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy. Rihanna Harden, she's going to prison for a very, very long time. And it's all because of one bad decision she made while she was in the back of a sheriff's deputy's cruiser. This case takes us to Marion County, Florida, south of Gainesville. It was June 23rd, 2025. A Marion County deputy took then 22-year-old Rihanna Hardin into custody on a number of charges, including possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and providing a false ID to law enforcement. Hardin is wearing a visor, so you can't really see her face while she's in the back of the cruiser. But you can tell she's not exactly happy to be there. Who would be? Going to jail? It's not fun. And Hardin starts to get restless. Somehow she's able to slip one of her wrists out of her cuffs. She begins to move to the other side of the cruiser, where she looks out of the window to see what's going on. Now Hardin does not want to be in the back.

that cruiser at all. That much is very clear, but she's in custody and has actually found a way to slip out of her handcuffs, as I mentioned. This is amazing. Hardin sits and fidgets, and you can almost see the wheels are turning in her head. Is she trying to figure out how she can get out of the back of this cruiser? Then she notices something. Rihanna Hardin has not only slipped out of her handcuffs, she has noticed the camera and put her visor over it. Hardin is up to no good. And the of that cruiser. Remember, she's already been missing with that sliding plexiglass partition that goes from the back of the cruiser to the front. Occasionally, the deputy comes back to the cruiser to ask Hardin questions. Is that guy related to that guy? No. Eventually, they start moving. Is there maybe like an estimate of how

how far the jail is? Is there maybe an estimate of how far the jail is? About 10 minutes later, Hardin fires the gun that she has pulled from her pants. Your fire, I'm in the backseat. I don't think I'm injured. I'm not sure that hard to kill the car. That's my safe. Fellow deputies raced to the scene. Take, 911.

Where are you there? So too. Just no one with a race strike. 441 heart of ovation. The call is serious. A woman in custody has somehow gotten her hands on a gun and fired it at a deputy in the back of a cruiser. The deputy who took Rihanna Hardin and to come. custody is out of the cruiser and he's taken cover as backup arrives.

Watch your crossfire. She's coming to the air. Okay. Do you have a little bit of redness on your cheek? Leap and lights. Anyone south? Turn on your takedowns. Did you shoot at her?

Yeah. No, we're good on this side. So you're 55-50. So you're at 55-50. Don't let anyone know you in this. Come up, 4-41. I keep driving up it, man. She's in that car still.

Yep. You have to phone up 441. My cell in 6966 are coming from the west eastbound on southwest 46. 558. You're coming in just like the star for a meeting to work out. We'll be passing down. Last time I wear my seatbelt. Last time I wear my seatbelt.

You got out in time, buddy. Did she start firing me through the grate? Yeah. Why don't you head on back to my car and I'll take over before you're up? Okay. Is that your mag right there? Back there. Look, back there, man.

Yeah. I'm gonna go check out with him. See if he's got to be up to do you again. We got two shields down here already. Let me see you, bud? Yeah, I got like... I got a few horse. I need a way for me in the .

Am I hit in the back? Are eastbound on Southwest, where he's... No, man. I just think... Searched her. 10-9. We have the south side of the vehicle covered pretty well. Just find a position on the north-east side that's outside of a word be fire net. Meanwhile, other deputies have surrounded the cruiser.

Get out of here. Go! Get out! Turn around! Turn around! Turn around! Whose car is this? Ricketts, whose car is this? Let's turn your lights off. I'll lock your door. I like a door. east side that's outside of the south side of will be my hand. Yeah. Is she in the back seat? She should be in the back seat. Spotlight.

Yeah, they said turn the spotlight off. Now, this is a crazy situation. A woman slips or cuffs. Somehow has a gun in her pants. She fires at the deputy and he fires back. Now, other deputies are arriving to stage. The hope is to take Rihanna Hardin into custody without anyone else getting hurt. Hello sir. I'm staged in the motel budget and parking lot.

You'll see my sergeant's vehicle parked way in here in the little middle of it. Is that you pulling in? I got Gileard. Yeah, if you can get on, yeah, just back here where I'm at. So she can't go anywhere. She's fully surrounded inside the car. There's people on all sides. Gileard shot his gun.

He's got a grazed wound on his face. That's from being shot at. Okay. But I searched him. He doesn't have any other injuries on him. It's, there's this, that injury on his face. So I got him over here separate from it. And we're on the car now. It's the decision of whether or not we want to go up on it. She's armed. She has a gun. She's 34 or anything like that? No idea. They said that they saw her. After the gunfire stopped, she was kicking at the door from the inside. And that was, there were no more gunshots after that. Can we access the camera in the car? I can look at it right now, actually. The lights are not on, but the interior camera is on.

Let's see if we can access it. That's my shield right there. The adrenaline is pumping, and at this point, Rihanna Harden isn't following commands to get out of the cruiser. Let me see your hands. Hands out the window. Put him all the way out the window. Put both of your hands out the window. And I got sight on her right here.

I can see your hands. What's all the way? on the ground. Put your hands out the window. Hey, she's reaching back inside. Keep your hands out the window. Stay exactly like that. Hey, both are, I could see her. She got both hands out the window. Keep your hands out to window. Hey, can she get on her knees and stick her hands out the window? Hey, can you get on your knees and stick your hands further out the window? Please do that. Both hands out the window.

I see both hands. I got eyes on both hands. I still got eyes. Both hands are out the window. She can't reach that far. Hey, try to open the door from the outside. Try to open that door from the outside. She can't reach that far.

All right. Go. Just keep both your hands out the window and stay like that. Both of them out the window. Thank you. Stay exactly like that. Do not move. If you move, you'll take it as a threat. Both hands are out the window. Hey, what's her name? Hey, what's your name? What is it? Tiana?

G. Hey, keep your hands right out the window. Do not move, okay? Say just like that. On your back. Where's my gun? On his stomach. It's over there. It's over there. It's over there. Here's what that same confrontation looked like from another angle.

Go ahead. She can't reach the shield. I'm coming over to you with the shield. I don't think we know. I don't think she was idea. Yeah, she refused to give it. Two? Yeah, side by side. I'm left-handed though, so let me get along with this side.

Rihanna's the name. Which side is she on? Left side. Keep your hands out. Keep your hands up. Come out. Get out. Get out of the car.

Out of the car. On the ground. Back up. Get away from that gun. I threw out the window. That's right. Right here. On this side.

No, it's the glass. No. Where's the gun at? Right here. Literally, right there. Okay. You're going to hurt at all? Yeah, he's on my back.

Back in the shoulder. Back in the shoulder. Which side? You're a right or armed, right? All right. I just got grades, I'm not sure. The stupid thing to do, was it? Every case is the thing to do. Jensen, is that your car right there?

Yes. Can you unlock your real quick? Should be unlock your muscle. No, I locked to... Okay, that's unlocked. You're good. My check. Yeah, I fit my shoulder over. Okay, that's it.

Okay. That's it. You think your right shoulder? weapons on safe guys? Yeah. All right, guys. We got her. You guys can go steal your weapons. Did you try to shoot yourself up? No, no, sir.

Okay. Am I shot? No, no, no, it looks like it's just a scratch. Okay. It looks like it doesn't look like there's a hole or anything. It's just a scratch. Just get her luck up on that. Yeah, you want to roll over and sit up on the curb?

Yeah, I thought I had medics. Yeah, I should be. There's some blood in the back? Once a medic skater, we'll put her in an ambulance, we'll check her again. Once she's on the face. That's not from the house. Up on a seat as well. You get through there and into the screen back.

Yeah, it could be from shrapol or something. Yeah. The deputies believe that Hardin has been using meth. She is surrounded by male deputies, so a female deputy is brought in to pat her down. So we're here. Can I borrow you? Yeah. I think she's been pat down by a guy.

If you could pat her down, I'd appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I've been pat you down. Stand up. She's going to pat you down now. And you're going to come over here right to this where this wall is. Spread your feet and lean forward, lead your chest against that.

He's going to get real uncomfortable for both of us. Okay. Yes, sir. I'm going to call. Is your turn? Yeah. I'll go ahead and give John a call and tell what we got. Let him.

He's not call supervised. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes, he did.

That's his mag down there on the ground. Okay. How are there? I haven't asked me. So, sorry. So you're 55-58, go ahead. Matthew, Medicare, five to your eyes on the original. It's all of those women.

I'm 1012 with them. She has, I don't think it's a gunshot wound to her back. She has maybe a graze wound on her back shoulder. We lifted her shirt up. Yeah, it was in here when we lifted her shirt up. That's why I think it's a graze wound because it's not, but there is a... I'm a shirt. Press.

But we think there's blood inside. Yes. the back of the car so that's why we're confused what we're looking at. Yeah he has a great He was in that 1012 with her No other uh

issues yeah he has a grace one on it I think on his face he was in that vicinity over there you want to say 1012 with her I got to call I got to call it yeah

Who? Gileard. Did he discharge? Yeah. All loaded all megamy? At least, I... Y'all ready for her to be transported? Yeah, Jensen, can you stay with her?

Yeah, that's, we can get her. Okay. So Jensen will be test with her. That's good. And we didn't do it, we couldn't do a female search. That's why I just had a female searcher. Yeah, he can't, you know, he, I told him, I said, listen, she had a gun where you can't check.

You can't check. Yeah. She had a gun. while he was in the back seat. So here's the deal. I'm trying to figure in my mind what is her, what is her thought process? Because she's locked in.

I think she's on math. She's math out. She's got out. You can't get out. No. Hardin was taken to the hospital and checked out. She wasn't seriously injured. She's put back in cuffs and loaded into the back of the cruiser

where she's taken to jail. Okay. Very good. This time, she's in hospital. scrubs, her clothes were taken as evidence since she fired a gun. The ride takes a little while, and at one point Hardin appears to knot off. They arrive at the sheriff's office where Hardin will be booked. You can be just fine. I'll get it. Just me head right over to that green door. Detectives interview Hardin, and she describes a tough upbringing. And she denied being under the

influence of drugs in the back of that cruiser. She also said she became frustrated when the deputy wouldn't answer her questions and when he turned up the music and refused to roll down the window at her request. Could you possibly like roll the windows down a little bit? It's hot. It's really, really hot. I got you. I want to turn the air up as well as well to circulate. Can I get some light fresh air as well too? Circulate, like just a little crack. I know, but you can have that air. It's cold. A probable cause affidavit states the suspect talked about being searched by Deputy Gillard three separate times prior to leaving for the jail in the back seat and him not finding the handgun on her person. She described wearing a pair of shorts underneath her outer pants.

She advised the gun to be concealed in the front right pocket of her underlayer of shorts. She described being shocked and scared when Deputy Gillard ultimately missed the gun on her each time. She then described wanting the windows to be rolled down so she could throw the gun out the window and it be found there rather than on her person. She feared that telling Deputy Gillard about the gun would cause more harm than just keeping it on her person for the time being. She was waiting for a scenario where she could separate from the gun and him find it where she was clear of it so that he would not draw his gun on her. The suspect described being further upset and angry while driving to the jail.

She described him not answering her questions and playing loud music in the car. The suspect advised she then set a prayer and then the shootout happened. She later described squeezing the trigger the first time, and the gun misfiring. She fired another round, and then the deputy began shooting at her, so she fired two more rounds in self-defense. Rihanna Hardin was booked into the jail on a second-degree attempted murder charge. Earlier this month, Rihanna Hardin pleaded no contest to the charges she faced, including attempted second-degree murder, possession of methamphetamine and giving a false name to a law enforcement officer. She'll serve 40 years in prison. And that's it for this episode of

crime fix. I'm Janette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.