NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - Surveillance cameras at a North Miami gas station captured the moment a man was shot while confronting the suspected thieves who, his family believes, stole their car.
The shooting happened at a Shell gas station, located along North 82nd Street and North Miami Avenue, Monday night.
According to Miami-Dade Police, it all started around 11:30 p.m., when a 2009 Ford Fusion was stolen from the victim’s home. Police said 26-year-old Lazaro Arencibia and his family got into another car and drove to the gas station where they spotted their stolen vehicle.
The mother and her sons spotted three young men filling up their stolen car at a nearby gas station. Arencibia then got out of their vehicle and ran up to the suspects, opening a back passenger door, and that is when he was shot in the torso.
“Unfortunately, they had guns,” said witness Barbara Rivera.
Family members said Arencibia was shot in the stomach. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery on Tuesday.
Tuesday afternoon, the victim’s mother said she has been unable to talk to her son since he went into surgery. “He’s in ICU still. I haven’t been able to talk to a doctor,” she said.
Rivera said she was filling up her rental truck at the time of the shooting. “They were having a discussion, so I left to another pump, and when I was at the other pump, they kept fighting,” she said.
A 7News viewer sent in a picture of the shooting victim, lying on the ground at the gas station.
Terrified witnesses at the gas station ducked behind pumps. “I was freaking out; I was hiding,” said Rivera. “I was like, ‘Nah, this ain’t happening. Somebody shooting, here, now? No.’ But well, I hid and everyone was hiding, but unfortunately somebody got shot real bad in the stomach.”
The victim’s mother told 7News she heard a man say, “Shoot him,” seconds before she saw her son on the ground bleeding. She immediately called 911.
The family said the suspects were able to get into a blue Hyundai sedan and left the stolen Fusion behind. Police towed the stolen car to be processed for clues.
They come in, these people, for gas, and they leave,” said gas station clerk Meharab Hossan.
Meanwhile, Arencibia’s mother is desperate for information on her son’s condition. “I’m destroyed, I’m destroyed,” she said.
The gas station was closed down for several hours overnight as police combed the area for clues. However, it has since reopened.
Police believe the subjects are between the ages of 18 and 21 years old.
So far, no arrests have been made.
If you have any information on their whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.