A Miami police union is outraged and upset after a man who allegedly stabbed a Miami Police officer was granted bond and allowed to walk out of jail.
Now, it appears a simple mistake may be to blame. A minor detail not filled out on an arrest report is the reason that suspect is now free.
The nearly deadly encounter happened on Jan. 21 at the Magic City Casino. Witnesses corroborate the Miami Police version of events: Jose Carvajal-Lopez attacked an officer, stabbed him in the face, and the officer fired back with his gun, sending Lopez to the hospital.
"If you're gonna stab a police officer in full police uniform, you're not gonna have a problem stabbing anybody else," said Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Javier Ortiz.
Carvajal-Lopez was charged with second-degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence. He bonded out of jail after recovering from his gunshot wound, which outraged the union president.
Ortiz wrote a scathing letter to Judge Mindy Glazer, saying: "The Miami Fraternal Order of Police is extremely concerned and outraged by your less than honorable decision of granting a measly $20,000 bond for a man that attempted to kill a Miami Police Officer. Your actions have placed every law enforcement officer in jeopardy with allowing this piece of trash back onto the streets of Miami."
But it turns out, Judge Glazer had nothing to do with it. She wasn't working that day, and in fact, according to the court system, Carvajal-Lopez bonded out without ever facing a judge because the arresting officer did not check the "hold for bond hearing, do not bond out" box on the arrest form.
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Former prosecutor David Weinstein explains, "The box wasn't checked. So when this defendant was released from Ward D after having been treated for his injuries, he was checked into the facility, the system saw what the standard bond was, he picked up the phone, made his call, talked to someone who posted the standard bond and he was out before he was even required to make that initial bond appearance."
Judge Glazer would not comment on the case.
Ortiz is out of town but responded with the following message: "What I can tell you at this time is the information given to me was confirmed by the Miami Police Department. If the information is incorrect, I will surely apologize to Judge Glazer. Regardless, an attempted cop killer shouldn't be walking free on the streets of Miami."
Later that evening, Ortiz wrote an apology letter to Judge Glazer that reads in part:
"I am out of town due to legislative affairs. The information that was given to me was confirmed by the Miami Police Department. The personnel involved in that confirmation would like to meet with you to personally apologize for this mishap. I apologize for any stress that this has caused you."
