CUTLER BAY, FLA. (WSVN) - On Friday morning, authorities apprehended 35-year-old Randall Lautzenheiser, a homeless man, on charges of first-degree murder after firefighters who responded to a truck fire in Cutler Bay made a disturbing discovery.
According to Miami-Dade Police, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the blaze at a shopping center near Southwest 92nd Avenue and Old Cutler Road, at around 1:45 p.m., Thursday. A police report revealed Lautzenheiser was seen nearby shirtless and with burn marks on his arms.
Miami-Dade Police identified the victim as 39-year-old Igor Ernesto Ortiz.
According to the arrest report, witnesses observed an argument between Lautzenheiser and Ortiz inside a truck. The situation escalated as Lautzenheiser was seen purchasing a gas can from a Chevron gas station across the street. Store clerks noted his peculiar behavior, recounting an unusual request for gas and beer.
“He came in, in a rush and he asked for $5 of gas. He gave me more than $5. Then came back and asked if he could use the rest for a beer and he took his beer and left,” said the store clerk.
Soon after, the witnesses reported another confrontation between the two, which lead up to the car erupting in flames. Emergency services were alerted as the vehicle burned, but it was too late for the person inside.
Detectives initially said they were treating this as a death investigation, but MDPD Detective Alvaro Zabaleta confirmed on Thursday night that Lautzenheiser was detained and questioned by homicide detectives.
The aftermath, captured in cellphone videos, shows massive flames and horrified onlookers in the shopping center.
“I saw that the guy inside was burnt,” said Chris, a man who witnessed the incident. “Right away when everybody started seeing it, they started covering him up.”
When crews put out the flames, police said, firefighters found a Ortiz’s body in the driver’s seat of the pickup truck.
Officers shut down a wide swath of the parking lot where the burning vehicle was located.
Miami-Dade Police worked late into the night, collecting evidence at a second scene on the other side of the shopping center. The community, accustomed to peace in Cutler Bay, expressed shock at the sudden and tragic event.
“It’s crazy,” said Chris. “It’s a sight to see in Cutler Bay. Normally it’s peaceful, relaxing, family-friendly, children go around. This is something so crazy to see out of nowhere happening in Cutler Bay.”
One woman, who did not want to be identified, said she was on her way to a friend’s house when she saw the incident,
“I saw smoke from a distance, as I was approaching, there was a gentleman, a white gentleman, he seemed enraged and upset with, what looked like a red can inside one of his hands, and a car passed by and he got into the car and left,” she said.
Lautzenheiser reportedly explained to officers that when he was “smoking a cigarette and that somehow the can with gas ignited” which may have led to the blaze. The Miami-Dade Police Department is investigating this incident.
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