FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested three men after an attempted armed robbery outside of a church in Fort Lauderdale led to a chase that came to a crashing end.
Mike Michaelidis said he was parking his BMW outside of Sunshine Cathedral, located along the 1400 block of Southwest Ninth Street, like he has many times before when he was approached by an armed man, at around 5:45 p.m., Friday.
“Yeah, I feel very safe leaving here and everything like that, so it kind of caught me off guard,” he said.
Surveillance video captured the subject, seen wearing a red hoodie, being dropped off at the entrance to the parking lot. He is then seen running up behind Michaelidis.
“He’s yelling, ‘Give me your keys! Give me your money!'” said the victim. “I turned around, I saw his gun already drawn, he was cocking his gun, and I just booked.”
Moments later, the man in the hoodie is seen running away empty-handed and getting into a waiting black Jaguar.
“He didn’t get what he wanted,” said Michaelidis.
What the trio did not realize was that their ordeal was just beginning.
Minutes later, cellphone video captured Fort Lauderdale Police cruisers chasing what appears to be black Jaguar along Interstate 95.
Another cellphone video clip shows cruisers chasing after a black Jaguar heading east on Sunrise Boulevard.
A driver told 7News the Jaguar struck his vehicle shortly after.
“He rammed into my car to get away from the cops,” he said.
Police said the subjects fled on foot. Officers searched the waters at nearby George English find, eventually finding the trio a short time later, bringing this unsuccessful robbery spree to an end.
“The police reacted really, really quick,” said Michaelidis. “It was nice to see that they were on top of it.”
Police continue to investigate. Officials said they are also looking into an armed robbery that may have happened a few blocks from Sunshine Cathedral at around the same time to determine whether both incidents are connected.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.