A suspect was shot and taken into custody early Monday after opening fire at a detective in Miami Gardens, setting off a police pursuit that spanned two South Florida cities. What began as a domestic-violence call late on Sunday night escalated dramatically in the pre-dawn hours, ending with the man in a hospital and investigators working several separate crime scenes across northwest Miami-Dade. Police said no officers or detectives were hurt in the shooting or the chase that followed.
According to Miami Gardens police, the sequence of events started at about 9:50 on Sunday night, when officers were called to a home over a report of shots being fired during a domestic incident. Investigators say a man and his girlfriend were involved in a dispute and that he opened fire at the house. The woman was not hurt, but the gunfire left multiple bullet holes in a window and on the outside of the home, underlining how dangerous the initial confrontation had been.
The situation took a more serious turn several hours later. Police say that while a detective was still at the scene as part of the investigation, the suspect returned to the area at around 4:15 on Monday morning. Rather than staying away, the man opened fire on the detective, dramatically escalating an already volatile domestic case into a direct attack on law enforcement and forcing an immediate response from officers on the ground.
The detective returned fire, and from there a pursuit quickly developed. Police said the suspect fled the scene by car and drove into the neighboring city of Opa-locka, and that he continued shooting at officers during the chase. The pursuit moved through the streets of northwest Miami-Dade in the early morning darkness, drawing a large police presence as units tried to bring the fleeing driver to a stop.
The chase was not without its own dangers for the officers involved. During the pursuit, a Miami Gardens officer was involved in a crash in the area of Northwest 22nd Avenue and Northwest 135th Street. Despite the collision, police said no officers were injured in the incident, and the effort to track down the suspect continued as the vehicle pursuit pressed on across the area.
The pursuit finally came to an end near Northwest 107th Street, where the suspect abandoned the vehicle and took off on foot. He was taken into custody in that area without any further incident. Authorities said the man had been shot during the earlier exchange of gunfire and was transported to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries, while officers secured the scene where the black car, riddled with bullet holes, had come to a stop.
Because a detective discharged a firearm, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation as an officer-involved shooting, following standard protocol. Police said they were working three separate scenes tied to the events, stretching from the original Miami Gardens home to the spot where the chase ended. Residents in the area expressed dismay at the violence but relief that officers had responded quickly and in force to bring the situation under control.