Woman Killed, Child Safe After SWAT Standoff

Man stabs woman, takes young girl hostage at Miami home: Police

A hostage situation in Miami ended with a young girl safe and a woman stabbed to death Tuesday morning, police said.

Police said a man held his 10-year-old daughter hostage for over an hour at a home in the 100 block of Northwest 26th Avenue. SWAT officers were able to safely get the girl out of the home just after 11:30 a.m.

Police were alerted of the incident by a neighbor who claimed a woman had been stabbed in her backyard by her boyfriend.

"I saw the man chasing her with a large knife and herd the screams," said a neighbor, who did not want to be identified, "but I thought they were playing around."

When police arrived, Lazaro Bernabeu was wielding a knife and ran back inside the house. He barricaded himself inside with the girl, police said.

Negotiators eventually talked Bernabeu out of the house and he was taken into custody. The child was unharmed.

But cops weren't able to save 34-year-old Eileen Lozano, who died of multiple stab wounds after being rushed to Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition.

Bernabeu, 49, was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping and was being held without bond.

Lozano was the cousin of Miami firefighter, Angel Sotolongo, who said he heard the rescue call come in over the scanner. He went to the scene as the standoff unfolded.

Lozano also had an 11-year-old son, who was not home at the time.

"We are focused on the kids right now," Sotolongo said.

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