One of South Florida’s most notorious “Cocaine Cowboys”, who spent nearly two decades behind bars following a shootout with police in the mid-1990’s, is back behind bars following another attempted escape from officers at a Southwest Miami-Dade home.
US Marshals, along with agents from ATF, the Secret Service and Miami-Dade Police, arrested Mario Gonzalez on Friday after raiding a five acre property near SW 199th Avenue and 228th Street. Gonzalez had been indicted on charges in New York dating back to 2014 and had been considered a fugitive of the law.
According to officials, Gonzalez attempted to escape after officers entered the property by driving an ATV before crashing into a fence and running into nearby bushes and being found by a police K-9 dog.
When police captured Gonzalez, he was in possession of a gun and a bag with $36,000 cash inside. Gonzalez was transported to federal prison and is expected to make his first court appearance on Tuesday.
Gonzalez was first arrested in July of 1993 when, at 29, he attempted to run over several marshals at a hotel near Miami International Airport after being wanted on various drug and gun charges in Florida and Puerto Rico. More than 130 shots were fired during the incident and Gonzalez was captured after suffering minor injuries, according to the Miami Herald.
