Miami-Dade Man Shot With Assault Rifle During Robbery
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – At a time when neighbors were preparing to go to church on Sunday, January 6, surveillance cameras in the northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood near Northwest 79th Street and Northwest 27th Avenue.
Miami-Dade Police say the video captured 3 young black men approaching a car, attacking a 53-year-old man and stealing his wallet and a wallet he found on the ground.
The armed thieves ran away and took off in a car. Miami Dade Police say the victim pursued the armed thieves.
A short distance away, surveillance cameras captured one of the men stepping out of the car and shooting the victim.
"He followed the subject for several blocks," said Det. Angel Rodriguez. "At some point the subject vehicle stops and the passenger exits the vehicle and shoots at the victim, striking him in the head."
Rodriguez says somehow the victim survived. Detectives combed the scene for clues and now they're asking the public for help to catch these guys.
"These individuals are dangerous," he said. "They are armed and we need to get them off our streets."
Rodriguez also said there are some important lessons here. For instance, it's not a good idea to pursue armed robbers because it might lead to gunfire with dire consequences.
"It's not safe to follow someone or give chase to someone," Rodriguez said. "Not only is it dangerous to you it could be a danger to the community as well."
Rodriguez also cautioned the public to be aware of their surroundings and if confronted by armed robbers —give them what they want.
"Give up your property," Rodriguez said. "It's ok. You can always recover your property. You can never recover your life."
For people who live in this community, they're concerned. They say crime is becoming a major problem.
"We don't need this in our neighborhood," said Barbara Santana. "We have a lot of kids that walk home from school. We have people that walk home — back and forth from work. It needs to stop."
If you have any information on this armed robbery and shooting, contact Miami Dade Crime Stoppers at 305 471-TIPS.
