MIAMI SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - There is a large police presence in Miami Springs confirmed to be connected to a police shootout in Miami, that critically injured an officer and killed a robbery suspect.
On Tuesday, Miami Springs Police officers were dispatched to the area of 101 Fairway Drive to assist Miami-Dade Police in an active investigation.
According to sources, the joint investigation is linked to the shooting of a MDPD officer in Liberty City.
MDPD had swarmed the Extended Stay America suites, as they were executing a search warrant. Officers exchanged gunfire towards the second floor of the building and damaged one of the windows.
“I heard ‘pa, pa, pa,'” said Iris, a witness.
Iris was staying two doors down from the suite that officers were targeting. She said she heard the commotion and heard a male saying…
“I’ll kill him, I don’t care,” said Iris.
Another hotel guest told 7News it was something they did not see coming.
“It was just, bah, bah, bah, and then they went off shooting. Three bullets went into the neighbor’s, one came almost into the roof of my bathroom while we were sleeping,” said Eduardo Kassem, “and the kids that were there– they had two little kids inside the room with the man.”
Cellphone video showed an officer running out of the hotel with a child in their arms. Other guests were also seen rushing out of the building.
“All I did was open the door, police officer grabbed my arm and he told me, ‘Run!'” said Iris.
But for Kassem, the police response was not fast enough.
“Our lives got risked there,” Kassem said. “My heart goes out to the police officer that got struck, but they had enough ample time to get us out of those rooms.”
MDPD Director Freddy Ramirez confirmed the suspect they had been looking for did not survive.
“There was a confrontation with an armed subject with an AK-47 style rifle,” Ramirez said.
He also said the search warrant was related to Monday’s investigation involving one of their officers, 29-year-old Cesar Echaverry, who was shot.
“It’s part of the robbery. It’s part of the overall investigation from the robbery that initiated the last 24 hours, tragic events involving one of our officers,” said Ramirez.
On Monday night, people heard multiple gunshots on Northwest 17th Avenue and 62nd Street in Miami, but the investigation began earlier that day as a store had been robbed in Dania Beach.
“They said that they had guns,” said a witness.
The witness told 7News that his friend had walked upon the crime.
“The guys were inside. They locked the door. When they walked inside, they looked at them and shook their head and said, ‘It’s not happening,'” said the witness.
Detectives had been looking for a white car involved in the robbery. Police said they had a hit in Miami Springs, and then officers spotted the vehicle in the evening in Miami.
Over police radio, a responding officer could be heard saying, “62 [Street] and 17 [Avenue]. Units that are coming from the east, avoid that. They need to come either north or south on 17 Avenue. The east side is going to be a hot side. They’re going to have a barricaded subject with a firearm.”
According to detectives, Jeremy Horton had desperately tried to flee from police before crashing.
Cellphone video shows Horton fleeing from the car on foot after crashing into a light poll.
Officers, including Echaverry, were closely behind him.
“Our officers, including Echy, as brave as they are, fled on foot after the subject, so he would not be a threat to our community,” said Ramirez.
Moments later, gunfire was exchanged between Horton and officers, and Horton succumbed to his injuries.
Echaverry had also been wounded with a serious injury after being shot and was quickly transported to the hospital by another fellow officer.
“We’re hurting, but we’re persevering. We’re moving forward for our community, for our officer, for the officer’s family,” said Ramirez.
Police have not identified the suspect involved in the Extended Stay America suites incident.
The other suspect, Horton, had an extensive criminal history from Cobb County, Georgia, which dates from May 2012 to June 2021.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.
If you have any information on this robbery and shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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