MIAMI (AP) — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement appealed Monday for anyone who witnessed or has video of last week’s shootout between police and the hijackers of a UPS truck to contact the agency.
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The shooting is being investigated by the state agency in part because it involved four police agencies and more than a dozen officers, whose chase of the UPS truck ended Thursday in a torrent of gunfire. Both suspects, the UPS driver and a passing motorist were killed during the shooting at a busy intersection during rush hour in southwestern Broward County.
The chase began with a jewelry store robbery in Coral Gables, where a woman was struck in the head by a ricocheting bullet. Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill, 41-year-old cousins, fled the store, hijacked UPS driver Frank Ordonez, 27, and led police on a chase on Interstate 75. The truck exited the highway and drove into Miramar. Police converged on the truck at a stop light, opening fire from behind the cars of innocent bystanders. Richard Cutshaw, 70, was killed in his vehicle as he waited at the light.
The chase and final shootout were broadcast live on television, including the moment when one of the men tumbled out of the truck, mortally wounded. News coverage included videos taken by motorists.
FDLE’s phone number is 786-336-1197.