Police Shootout On Busy Highway Leaves 4 Dead

MIRAMAR, FL — Four people were killed during Thursday's evening rush hour when police surrounded a hijacked UPS truck and opened fire following a wild police chase that stemmed from an earlier armed robbery in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables more than 20 miles away.

Miami-Dade police said the shooting occurred at Miramar Parkway, east 0f Flamingo Road in Broward County.

FBI Special Agent In Charge George L. Piro of the FBI's Miami Field Office said the UPS driver, a bystander and two suspects were killed. He said the incident began about 4:15 p.m. when two armed robbers held up Regent Jewelers in Coral Gables.

"As the individuals were fleeing, shots were fired, and it was reported across the street at the city hall in Coral Gables," Piro said. "As the suspects fled the area, they hijacked a UPS truck and kidnapped the driver."

UPS spokesman David Graves told Patch the company is mourning the loss of the driver.

"We are deeply saddened to learn a UPS service provider was a victim of this senseless act of violence," Graves said. "We extend our condolences to the family and friends of our employee and the other innocent victims involved in this incident."

Video from a news helicopter showed the UPS truck weaving through rush hour traffic along one of the busiest highways in Miramar near Interstate 75.

Police surrounded the truck when it got caught in heavy traffic. Officers could be seen approaching the truck with rifles and handguns drawn.

A barrage of gunfire struck the truck as bullets could be seen hitting the vehicle.

Piro said it was too early in the investigation to say whether the UPS driver and the bystander were struck by police gunfire.

In Coral Gables, where the incident began, police said a jewelry store worker was also injured, but they could not say if she had been shot. There was no immediate update on her condition.

It all began when police in Coral Gables received a silent alarm from Regent Jewelers, in the city’s Miracle Mile area. Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak said during an earlier news conference that two suspects were at the store and that shots were being fired when police arrived.

One person could be seen falling out of the UPS truck's passenger side. It was unclear if the shots were fired from inside the truck, from law enforcement who were moving in or some combination thereof.

“This is what dangerous people do to get away,” Hudak said. “And this is what people will do to avoid capture.”

A bullet hit a window at Coral Gables’ City Hall, which was locked down, Hudak said. No one inside City Hall was believed to be injured, Hudak said.

Hudak said officers responded within 90 seconds. It was not immediately clear if anything from the jewelry store was taken, Hudak said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.