Dramatic cellphone and body camera video is among newly released evidence in the 2019 carjacking of a UPS driver that led to an intense shootout between the hijackers and authorities in the middle of rush hour that left four people dead.
Bodycam video shows a police officer responding to the scene of the shootout near the congested intersection of Miramar Parkway and Flamingo Road in Miramar on Dec. 5, 2019.
Cellphone video from a passenger in a vehicle captured the exchange of gunfire from the vantage point of the dashboard, as well as a pickup truck striking a sedan in a motorist’s apparent attempt to get out of harm’s way.
“Oh, [expletive]. They’re shooting! What the [expletive],” said a passenger.
The gunfire continued for another 14 seconds.
The shootout, which left two suspects and two innocent people dead, followed a multi-county police pursuit that was triggered by an armed robbery at the Regent Jewelers store in Coral Gables.
One of the suspects is seen holding a large handgun with a large silencer, and wearing sunglasses and gloves, as he entered the business, just before 12:10 p.m.
Moments later, the two bandits commandeered a UPS truck driven by 27-year-old Frank Ordonez.
The ensuing pursuit lasted more than an hour.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement determined that officers fired more than 200 rounds, after they were warned not to approach the UPS truck because the subjects had been firing at law enforcement.
Cellphone video shows two officers running between cars with their guns drawn. Another clip shows several officers amongst stopped cars trapped in traffic. The gunfire heard in the footage is unrelenting for several seconds.
In the end, Ordonez and a civilian driver, 70-year-old Richard Cutshaw, would be fattaly caught in the crossfire.
Four Miami-Dade Police officers — Jose Mateo, Leslie Lee, Richard Santiesteban and Rodolfo Mirabal — were indicted as a result of the shootout. They all face manslaughter charges.
FDLE investigators said the bullets that hit Ordonez were fired by each of the indicted officers. They have all pleaded not guilty.
Mateo said that he would like to get his manslaughter charge dismissed because, he argues, his actions were justified under Florida’s “stand your ground” law. He has a hearing scheduled for next week.
Read MoreWSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
