NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A man was hospitalized after a North Miami Beach police officer opened fire during what investigators say began as a hoax stabbing call.
Crime scene tape stretched across the 1600 block of 164th Street on Saturday as detectives gathered evidence.
A family member told Local 10 News the suspect is a 21-year-old man who struggles with mental health.
“I heard some gun — boom, boom three times,” said Maria Silva, who lives nearby.
North Miami Beach Police Department Chief Juan Pinillos said officers responded around 9:40 a.m. after a caller reported a stabbing victim.
“A call was received that a male had stabbed a victim,” Pinillos said. But when officers arrived, no victim was found. Instead, they encountered a man with a knife.
“The officers gave the male several verbal commands to drop the knife and then charged at the officers,” Pinillos said.
He said officers then opened fire, striking the man.
“It appears as the call was a bogus call, possibly placed by the suspect. He looked like he wanted the encounter with the police officers,” Pinillos added.
Radio dispatch audio suggested the suspect admitted to fabricating the call.
“There’s no one stabbed. He lied and contacted the police. He tried to stab,” an officer was heard saying over the radio.
“This is still fresh. We’re still trying to piece everything together. It could have been a suicide by cop, could have been someone in a mental crisis that was seeking a different alternative,” Pinillos said.
“We can’t predict thee these types of things; happen all the time. It’s unfortunate that it happened,” he added.
The suspect, who has not yet been identified, was undergoing surgery and was said to be in stable condition. Investigators said he could face charges and has not been identified at this time.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, which is protocol.
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