The FBI has identified the two suspects who carried out a robbery in Coral Gables and then engaged in a high-speed car chase all the way to Miramar, where a shootout left the suspects and two others dead.
On Twitter, @FBIMiamiFL wrote that the two deceased suspects had been identified as Lamar Alexander, 41, and Ronnie Jerome Hill, 41, both of Miami-Dade County.
A criminal history search revealed that both Alexander and Hill have lengthy criminal histories and have served time behind bars, including charges for robbery, battery, grand theft and resisting arrest.
Alexander’s criminal history dates back to 1996 when he was convicted of multiple counts of robbery. A year later, he was arrested on burglary and theft charges in a different case and was also convicted.
According to records from the Miami-Dade County clerk’s office, Alexander was found guilty of loitering in 2000. His most recent conviction was in 2008 (Lee County) for robbery with a firearm. Records from the Florida Department of Corrections show he was released in 2017.
Hill’s criminal history also dates back years. In 1993, he was arrested and convicted of robbery and burglary charges in Miami-Dade County. In 2012, he pleaded guilty to loitering, a second-degree misdemeanor.
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From 2014 to 2016, he was arrested multiple times and found guilty of burglary and theft related charges. Records from the Miami-Dade County clerk’s office show, Hill’s most recent arrest was in 2017 for burglary, attempt to tampering with physical evidence and possession of burglary tools. There was no action on the charges and the case was closed.
Thursday's incident began with a robbery and shootout at Regent Jewelers at 386 Miracle Mile just after 4 p.m.
Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak said Alexander and Hill, both armed, exchanged gunfire with a jewelry shop worker. The victim was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Shortly after the shootout, Alexander and Hill abducted a UPS driver at gunpoint and fled in the driver's truck. Authorities began a pursuit, which sped up Interstate 75 into South Florida's Broward County.
When the truck stopped in traffic at a light near Miramar Parkway and Flamingo Road, Alexander and Hill opened fire on officers, which resulted in an exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the suspects, George Piro of the FBI said in a news conference Thursday night.
Piro confirmed that the two suspects died, as well as the UPS driver and a bystander who was shot where the chase ended in Miramar.
