On December 6th, 2019 a silent alarm was rung at the Regent Jewelers in Coral Gables at 4:17 p.m. The suspects Lamar Alexander, 41, and Ronnie Jerome Hill, 41 both Miami-Dade locals hijacked a nearby UPS truck and kept the driver Frank Ordonez, 27, as a hostage. The police received a call of gunshots at Coral Gables City Hall which is just within sight of the jeweler’s shop and arrived at the scene in less than two minutes. A bullet struck the building, which went into lockdown. From there began a long pursuit between streets and the interstate being an approximately 25-mile chase with the pursuit being recorded live via news helicopters. During this getaway it was reported by the law enforcement officers that gunfire would occasionally erupt from the door with the back door opening on occasion. At around 5:35 p.m., over an hour from the initial jewelry heist two counties over did the robbers approach the intersection of Miramar Parkway and Flamingo Road where the chase slowed to a halt from the daily traffic. When the police saw the opportunity, they left their cop cars with few moving behind civilian vehicles trapped in the crossfires of a now shoot out. The exchange lasted for no more than three minutes before the police shot and killed the suspects, although they weren’t the only people murdered in the exchange; hostage Frank Ordonez and Mr. Cutshaw, 70, a field representative for the Government Supervisors Association of Florida in Miramar where both murdered as well. It has been reported by the Sun Sentinel that the Miramar, Miami-Dade and Florida Highway Patrol officers who were involved in the shootout are now on administrative leave as the incident is investigated. Out of the 13 police officers involved, none were injured.
The incident caused a cornucopia of reactions with the biggest issue being the location of the shootout. The public has issue with the fact that police used civilian vehicles as shields and the location of a busy street caused the life of Mr. Cutshaw to be lost; whether it was by the hands of the police or robbers is irrelevant, the shootout taking place in a crowded street is the last place it should be at. The family of Ordoñez were also critical of the way that the situation was handled. Luis Ordoñez, the victim’s brother, told The Associated Press that the “police were insane,” and that “instead of talking to them, they just started shooting,” a statement that many online are left questioning. Why was there not a period of reasoning and it was approached immediately with violence? The police chief of Coral Gables Edward J. Hudak Jr. stood by the response of his officers “admirable” during a news conference on Thursday night. He adds in relation to the situation, “This is what dangerous people do to get away, this is what people will do to avoid capture. If people give up and are held accountable for their crimes, then we wouldn’t put this many people in danger.”
What legalities are in place to prevent such an event and how can they be properly enforced? What do you think of the situation? Could anything have been done differently? Let us know in the comment section.
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