Four people are dead after a pair of armed robbers hijacked a UPS truck on South Florida’s glitzy Miracle Mile on Thursday, leading police on a two-county rush-hour chase that ended in a hail of gunfire, authorities said.
By: TJVNews.com
The driver of the UPS truck, the two armed robbers and a nearby motorist were killed in a gunfire exchange with law enforcement officers.
The freeway pursuit was televised nationally. The suspects were identified Friday as Lamar Alexander, 41, and Ronnie Jerome Hill, 41; both Miami-Dade county residents. The pair held up a jewelry store. The UPS driver was identified as Frank Ordonez and the motorist was identified as Richard Cutshaw, who was driving home from work, according to the CNN.
NBC in Miami reported that Ordonez’s stepfather, Joe Merino, said when he saw the video showing the conclusion of the chase, “I knew he was dead. He wasn’t moving.”
“For this to happen, I think, it was just unnecessary,” Merino said. “Other tactics should have been applied, and they weren’t, so when I say the word devastated, it’s an understatement.”
NPR reported that after fleeing the scene and evading police for dozens of miles, the truck stopped in the middle of rush-hour traffic as armed officers surrounded it.
“There was exchanged fire between law enforcement and the suspects, and unfortunately, the suspects are now deceased,” George Piro, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Miami office, said. “But two additional innocent civilians were also deceased.”
NBC News in Miami reported that the incident began in Miami-Dade County at about 4:15 p.m., when the men tried to rob Regent Jewelers on the Miracle Mile, the downtown stretch of Coral Gables that is home to many glamorous stores and restaurants, Piro said.
The NBC affiliate also reported that 19 law enforcement officers fired at the truck.
The suspects exchanged gunfire with the owner of the jewelry store, and a worker was being treated for undisclosed injuries, Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak Jr. said, according to NBC in Miami. At least one bullet also hit a window at City Hall, but no injuries were reported, Hudak said.
In a statement released to the media, UPS said:
“We are deeply saddened to learn a UPS service provider was a victim of this senseless act of violence,” the package delivery company said. “We extend our condolences to the family and friends of our employee and the other innocent victims involved in the incident. We appreciate law enforcement’s service and will cooperate with the authorities as they continue the investigation.”
NPR reported that former Department of Housing and Urban Development official Brandon Friedman described the shootout as “appalling.” He said the police department should be held accountable for “choosing to assault the vehicle in the middle of stopped rush hour traffic” and using occupied vehicles as “human shields.”
