Innocent Bystander Killed During Wild Police Shootout — The O. K. Coral Gables.
At about 4:14 p.m., two desperados held up a Regent Jewelry store in Coral Gables Florida — an upper-middle-class area of town — adjacent to a brutally suppressed neighborhood. The “owner” of the store exchanged gunfire with the robbers, at which time his store clerk was shot — condition: not serious. The store’s silent alarm was activated and within 90 seconds, officers from the Coral Gables police department (one and a half blocks away from the store) were on scene confronting the armed robbery suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire, Coral Gables’ city hall was struck with at least one bullet. The robbers left the area in a rented U-Haul truck but later abandoned it for a UPS truck that they vehicle-jacked. “What can Brown do for you?” After crisscrossing two counties (Miami-Dade and Broward) and several cities, the two robbers, along with their kidnapped UPS driver came to a standstill at the corner of Miramar Parkway and Flamingo Road — a busy intersection in Broward County, Florida.
Seconds later (about 5:34 p.m.), dozens of police officers exited their vehicles with weapons drawn. At least eighty shots have been fired, with some reports stating that that number could rise above 200 shots fired. The UPS driver was killed while on his knees, holding his hands in the air. Both robbers were also killed, as well as an innocent bystander — whose black Lincoln Town Car sustained bullet holes to the window(s) and body of the vehicle.
United Parcel Service (UPS) issued a statement acknowledging the death of its driver but did not release a name. “We are deeply saddened to learn a UPS service provider was a victim of this senseless act of violence,” the company said. “We extend our condolences to the family and friends of our employee and the other innocent victims involved in the incident.
A UPS spokesperson read from a prepared statement.
Staff Writer: Clinton Franklin
Media Corp USA
