MIAMI, Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two armed jewelry thieves trying to escape the scene of their heist on Thursday hijacked a delivery truck, took its driver hostage, then led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a deadly shootout, authorities in the US state of Florida said.
Four people were killed in the gunbattle on a busy street — the two
suspects, the driver of the United Parcel Service truck, and a bystander, FBI
agent George Piro said.
The events began as two armed suspects robbed a jewelry store in Coral
Gables, near Miami, late Thursday afternoon, Piro said.
“As the suspects left the area, they hijacked a UPS truck and kidnapped the
driver,” he said.
The suspects sped along an interstate during the evening rush hour,
crossing multiple counties as law enforcement gave chase.
A shootout ensued when the delivery truck was caught in traffic around 5:30 pm in Miramar, about 25 miles away.
Police in Miramar tweeted that there had been an “officer involved
shooting” with “multiple fatalities,” and that no law enforcement had been
killed.
One person was taken on a stretcher into an ambulance and another person was flown to a hospital by helicopter in critical condition, the Broward County Sheriff Fire Rescue said.
The FBI is leading the investigation, according to Piro. — NNN-AGENCIES
