Man In Custody After Possible Shots Fired At Downtown Miami Hilton
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A man who may have fired shots inside the Hilton in Downtown Miami is now in custody.
Police were called to the hotel at 16th Street and Biscayne Boulevard after, sources say, a guest refused to leave his hotel room after checkout. When officers approached a room on the 21st floor, they heard loud bangs that may have been gunshots, according to the source. The officers backed away from the door and requested the SWAT team.
"We thought we heard a loud bang and it was gunfire," said witness John Gore. "We were just coming down here to look at the Ferrari dealership and just go see what was going on around town and we saw like 30 cop cars pulled up outside the hotel and we saw that there were cops running in with rifles and cops shutting down the street. It was crazy stuff."
Devon McCoy, who is staying on the 21st floor next to room 2108, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "I heard some noises and I came out of my room and I saw some police officers there. I didn't hear any shots fired. When I came out of my room for a third time they told me I was going to be evacuated and that I could not come back."
Watch Hank Tester's report:
iPhone video from the hallway on the 21st floor shows some marks and chips on door of room 2108.
Miami police Commander Freddie Cruz said officers were called in along with hostage negotiators.
"As you know there have been tragedies in different places so we are taking all the precautions," he said.
Police later confirmed no hostages were taken.
Police evacuated parts of the hotel.
Alberta Downwind of Lawrence, Kansas, who is here for this weekend's Rolling Loud music festival, shot video on her iPhone of people leaving the hotel.
"We just heard the police tell us to leave the breakfast area and then from the ballroom, she said." "I was worried. I didn't know what was going on."
Megan Pickard and Shelby Kilts, also here for the festival, were evacuated as well. Pickard said she was a little scare.
"Yeh. I didn't know what was going on. There were so many police," she said.
"They were aggressive. They told us to get out immediately. I am not from here and I was freaking out," said Kilts.
Jody Sellers and her friends were visiting from San Antonio, Texas.
"I saw police and members of the SWAT team and machine guns and men with shields. My daughter works for the police department in San Antonio and that's how I knew something very serious was happening," she said.
Sellers said she was told the police were focused on a guest on the 21st floor.
"That's what they told us. Someone was barricaded in his room," she said.
In the end, it wrapped up peacefully.
"We have one male in custody. We are not sure if he will be arrested or charged with a crime. He is being evaluated medically," said Cruz. "I can not get into other details and can not say if we found a firearm at the scene."
Miami police described the man in custody as being in his 30s or 40s. They did not release his name.
