Massive Manhunt for Armed Robbers Shuts Down Little Havana

Dozens of police cars and an ambulance have shut down an entire neighborhood on the western edge of Little Havana this afternoon as SWAT teams and canine units look for two armed men on the run. Cops are swarming along NW Seventh Avenue, shutting every southbound street from 30th to...

By Tim Elfrink

September 22, 2009

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Dozens of police cars and an ambulance have shut down an entire neighborhood on the western edge of Little Havana this afternoon as SWAT teams and canine units look for two armed men on the run.

Cops are swarming along NW Seventh Avenue, shutting every southbound street from 30th to 39th as they search for the men.

Fifteen minutes ago, an ambulance carted off another suspect who'd been mauled by police dogs as he hid in the bushes in front of a small ranch house. Residents and business owners crowded the streets, watching armored SWAT teams roam the blocks.

The chaos began a little after noon, when three armed men went on a rampage, robbing four businesses in just over an hour, Officer Jeffrey Giordano, a Miami Police spokesman, tells Riptide.

A Miami Police officer who responded to the first robbery spotted the men running south from the bustling NW Seventh Street after 3 p.m. and began chasing them on foot, Giordano says.

Canine units soon arrived and found one suspect in the bushes, but his two cohorts are still on the loose.

Giordano didn't have a description of the suspects when Riptide stopped by for a chat. But if you're hanging out in Little Havana and you see a couple of frantic-looking fellows sprint by with guns in hand, you might want to give the police a holler.

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Tim Elfrink is a former investigative reporter and managing editor for Miami New Times. He has won the George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.

Contact: Tim Elfrink

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