DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A Doral Police officer is under investigation after he was caught on bodycam footage allegedly shooting a teenage armed robbery suspect and then assaulting him during his arrest.
Authorities confirmed there was an armed robbery, there was a chase, and somehow one of the three suspects ended up with a bullet in his neck. Now, they’re investigating how an officer from the Doral Police Department got involved in the incident.
Bodycam video footage from the evening of April 19 shows police officers pulling 18-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez from the car.
“I got shot! I got shot!” he shouted repeatedly, saying that a bullet pierced him in the neck.
Police took three suspects into custody in Hollywood, but according to detectives, the trio’s trouble started in Hialeah.
They accused them of ripping off a victim who showed up to buy drugs at a parking lot of a Holiday Inn.
Officers said the crooks pistol-whipped him, ransacked his car, stole cash and other items, then sped away.
That’s when a chase involving different agencies at different points began.
The suspects’ car crashed into a light post at this intersection.
The Miami-Dade Police Department is the lead agency investigating the incident from where it started to where it finished.
The Miami Herald has reported the investigation is centered around a Doral Police officer who, they said, joined the pursuit, opened fire first and is seen on body cam video punching the driver in the face.
Rodriguez’s attorney sent 7News this statement: “Gabriel Rodriguez is an 18-year-old with no prior record who was recklessly shot by the police. He could have permanent damage. We will continue to fight for him and his family in court.”
A Doral Police spokesperson would not comment on the Herald report but did tell 7News, “I can confirm that Detective Michael Acosta did take part in an unauthorized police pursuit that traveled through the city of Doral for a short distance, then exited the city and headed north, at which point, a Doral Police Patrol Sergeant ordered all Doral Police units to cease and return to the city.”
Authorities said Detective Acosta was relieved of duty pending the outcome of their investigation because he failed to report he was involved in the April 20 chase.
Rodriguez is scheduled to appear in court on July 20.
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