DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A car chase that led to a crash in Doral spiraled into violent chaos when, police said, a driver opened fire on responding Doral Police officers, injuring two of them before he was shot and killed.
According to Doral Police, both officers were injured near Northwest 92nd Avenue and 25th Street, right in front of Miami-Dade Police headquarters, just before 11 a.m., Friday.
Doral Police spokesperson Rey Valdes said the incident began when a dispute broke out and led to one man chasing another man in a vehicle. The police officers heard about the incident and responded.
Valdes said the officers came upon a traffic accident where a driver lost control and the vehicle had struck a tree. When one of the officers was investigating, the suspect in that car jumped out.
“The gentleman who was in that vehicle jumped out and opened fire on the officers,” said Valdes.
“Shootout, shootout!” a man is heard saying in Spanish on cellphone video of the incident.
Valdes said the officer and other officers in the area returned fire and struck the suspect.
“The subject has been pronounced dead,” said Valdes.
Friday night, Doral Police identified the suspect as 25-year old Yordany Rodriguez Perez.
One of the Doral officers was shot in the chest, the leg and the arm.
“Fortunately, he was wearing a bulletproof vest. The bulletproof vest took the round,” Valdes said.
That officer was initially taken to Jackson Memorial West. However, as a precaution, he was moved to Ryder Trauma Center. He is currently listed in serious but stable condition.
A second officer was grazed on the left cheek from glass. He was transported to Kendall Regional Medical Center but is expected to be OK.
“It’s just a stark reminder of the danger that our officers face,” said Valdes.
Police said a civilian sitting in traffic was caught in the crossfire and was hit in the leg. That person is being treated at Kendall Regional Medical Center.
The officer who was taken to Ryder Trauma Center was greeted by fellow law enforcement officers from other departments at the hospital.
The two officers also received a visit from Doral Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez.
“The worst thing you want to hear as a mayor is that there are two officers down with potential fatalities,” Bermudez said. “Thank God it’s not gonna be as serious as maybe originally expected.”
“They’re very relieved. He’s out of it, in the sense that he’s medicated, but he told us he’s feeling much better,” Bermudez added.
Bermudez said the officer is expected to undergo surgery within the next few days, but he will recover with his family at his side.
Lit by a spotlight, Rodriguez Perez’s car remained in the middle of Northwest 25th Street 11 hours later.
“When you decide to shoot at someone who’s as trusted and charged with the safety of the community, you must be a very sick and very desperate individual,” said Valdes.
7News knocked on the front door of the suspect’s listed address in Hialeah, but no one answered.
The investigation is now being handled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
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