MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police said an armed and dangerous suspect was stopped in Miami Beach, thanks to an alert park ranger.
Body camera footage obtained by 7News captured the moment Miami Beach Police officers took a man into custody in a parking lot near Ocean Drive and First Street, at around 8 a.m., Sept. 22.
“Let me see your hands. Let me see your hands,” an officer said in the video.
Officers credit a City of Miami Beach park ranger who alerted them about a suspicious vehicle.
Over the police radio frequency, which park rangers can also hear, an announcement was made that a license plate reader detected a stolen car that had just entered the city.
The ranger, who 7News is not identifying for safety reasons, said he saw the vehicle and its license plate moments later.
“I basically kept my eyes on him from a safe distance,” said the ranger. “I advised that I needed assistance.”
Miami Beach Police Sgt. Alex Torres arrived in seconds.
“When I hear it, I see him, a park ranger, in the middle of the street pointing me in the direction of where the subject is located,” said Torres. “I’m obviously thinking the worst in the situation, because I know the subject is wanted for a violent crime.”
The suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Dylan Santiago, was wanted for armed robbery and driving a stolen car out of Hialeah. Police said he is also a convicted felon.
The bodycam footage captured the suspect as he was placed in handcuffs.
“He complies,” said.
Additional police units responded to the scene shortly after.
Miami Beach Public Information Officer Christopher Bess said park rangers and other city employees out in the community serve as a useful second set of eyes for the police department.
“It’s public safety. That’s a priority,” he said. “Because of that collaboration with the police department and our other city entities, a bad guy is off the street.”
For the park ranger who saw something and said something, it was just another day at the office.
“Surprising, intense moment,” he said. “The reason we’re here is to make sure that the public is safe.”
Police said they found a loaded firearm and methamphetamine inside the car that Santiago was driving.
Santiago faces several charges, including grand theft.
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