Hunt for armed robbery suspect shuts down part of Miami Beach

Man, who was arrested, fled through restaurants, construction sites

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Miami Beach police shut down the busy area around 16th Street and Washington Avenue Tuesday morning as officers searched for an armed robber.

Ernesto Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Miami Beach Police Department, said officers took the man into custody around noon after being on the run for about an hour.

Police advised people to avoid the area Tuesday morning. Both Washington and Collins avenues from 16th Street to Espanola Way were closed, but have since reopened.

Miami Beach police said both SWAT and K-9 units were on the scene. The robber fled from an officer and was armed with a knife, police said. At one point, the robber cut through a restaurant and a construction site to escape, witnesses told Local 10's Andrew Perez.

Officers found the man hiding inside a garage on 16th Street, police said.

The view from Sky 10 shows multiple police cars and at least on ambulance on the scene.