Man Sought After Barricading Himself Inside Miami Home Following Dispute With Neighbor
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Miami Police surrounded a home Wednesday where an armed suspect barricaded himself and sealed off the neighborhood for two blocks in each direction as a safety precaution.
Miami Police spokeswoman Officer Kenia Fallat told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that police used gas and entered the home and discovered that the suspect had taken off. She said they recovered a weapon that he may have used. He has not been identified but there is an active search for him.
Fallat said police had been careful initially and alerted neighbors about what was going on.
Fallat said that "We don't want to alarm people. We just people to be aware that we are on the scene and are trying to see if surrenders peacefully. We are taking every precaution to see if he surrenders safely and area residents are safe as well."
Fallat said the suspect had barricaded himself inside the home where he lives at 5101 N.W. 8th Ave.
It all started late Wednesday morning.
Fallat said, "Shortly before 11 a.m. we received a call of a man who says he had been shot at."
Police gathered information when they arrived on the scene.
"It appears that two tenants may have gotten into a verbal dispute. But it never really escalated when the victim claims the armed man shot at the victim, missed him and hit a tire," said Fallat.
She said "Luckily the victim was able to get away. However, we do know the armed suspect barricaded himself inside his home."
Hostage negotiators were called in.
"We have resources out here," said Fallat. "We have been able to get our hostage negotiators to start making contact with the person inside."
Fallat said police had to be careful.
She said "Right now we believe he is armed and we don't know if he's accompanied by anyone else. We have cordoned off the streets and we have alerted people that we have an armed person inside."
The suspect and his victim have not been identified.
It's not known what prompted their argument and why the suspect fired his weapon.
Because Miami Police wanted this incident to end peacefully, they did not see the need to rush into the home.
Dozens of Miami Police officers responded to the scene.
They sealed off the home on all sides, keeping people at least two blocks away.
Paramedics in City of Miami Fire Rescue vehicles were on scene as well in case of injuries.
If you can help Miami Police find the suspect, call them or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
