MEDLEY, Fla. — Police said an armed robbery that authorities set off a chaotic chain of events, ending in a police shooting and high-speed chase that stretched from Sweetwater to Medley Friday.
Surveillance video shows three masked men ambushing a person outside a Sweetwater business and ushering the victim inside at gunpoint.
A white van, visible in the surveillance video, is believed to be the same vehicle pursued by police shortly afterward, according to investigators.
Sweetwater police confirmed the incident unfolded in the 10800 block of Northwest 17th Street and said responding officers interrupted the crime in progress.
“We don’t know if there was an exchange of gunfire — all we know is that there was a confrontation and shots were fired when police arrived at a crime in progress,” said Sweetwater Police Department spokesperson Alvaro Zabaleta.
Investigators say at least one Sweetwater officer discharged their weapon during the confrontation.
Authorities said the suspects fled the scene in the white van, sparking a police pursuit north on 107th Avenue.
The chase ended near the 10800 block of South River Drive in Medley.
“It appears they ran off the road and met a parked 18-wheeler,” said Sweetwater Police Chief Sergio Diez.
Sky 10 and Local 10 News crews captured the aftermath, showing a large police presence at the warehouse area where the chase ended. Crime scene tape cordoned off the block as detectives investigated.
According to authorities, three people were taken into custody. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said at least two suspects were hospitalized — one with a gunshot wound. Their identities and conditions have not yet been released.
“Today is a good day because none of my officers were hurt,” Diez added.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officer-involved shooting, which is standard protocol. The FBI is leading the investigation into the robbery itself.
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