A knife-wielding man was taken into custody and hospitalized after he was shot by a Miami Police officer near Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, officials said.
The incident occurred around 10 a.m. Friday, near Ryder Trauma Center, located in the area of Northwest Eighth Avenue and 17th Street.
When police arrived at the scene, they encountered the suspect armed with a knife.
Cellphone video shared with 7News showed the tense moments between the man and Miami Police officers as they surrounded him, asking the suspect to put the knife down.
“What initiated the call was a violent dispute between two people,” said Miami Police Officer Rafael Horta. “We did encounter one male who was indeed armed with a knife. One officer subsequently did discharge his firearm, striking the subject. At that time, the subject fled towards JMH, where officers were able to apprehend the subject at that time.”
Officials said that officers rendered aid to the man, who is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
7News cameras captured the arrest as officers ran toward a building where the man was located while police cars pulled up. Moments later, a Crime Scene Investigation van appeared on the scene to aid in the search for clues.
One witness snapped photos of the suspect and weapons, sharing them with 7News. One of the photos showed a Black male wearing a black hoodie with a bright orange handle sticking out of its pocket. Witnesses said that was one of two knives that was in the man’s possession. The other knife was spotted on the sidewalk nearby.
Another photo showed a silver-handled knife on the ground, which witnesses said the suspect pulled out of his person.
Despite the gunshot wound, police said, the man ran toward the busy hospital until he reached a dead end: the emergency room ambulance bay.
“The guy was not stopping, and he wasn’t putting the knife down, and he wasn’t listening to [police officers],” said Rebecca, a bystander. “He was running through the street, in the middle of the street, with the knife, looking at them with the big knife, and they were trying to stop him again, and he just kept going across the street toward Palmer.”
Although authorities shut down several streets nearby as they investigated, employees and people who need aid will be able to access the hospital. Hospital staff were also temporarily advised to stay indoors as the police activity took place.
“The knife was really big,” said Rebecca. “But there were two [knives], because the other one was left on the ground, and after they left, he saw the knife.”
A witness described what he heard as the scene unraveled.
“It sounded like a firecracker with one shot,” a man said.
Another witness described what he saw as traffic came to a halt.
“I see two cop cars stopped at the edges to return to the parking garage,” he said. “One of them got out, and he was looking panicked. Then he told a blue truck to stop. Then there was another cop car right next to the blue truck, then he just takes off, like, flies through a speed bump.”
One woman was stuck where she was as officers temporarily blocked off surrounding parking spaces.
“I was trying to leave, and now we can’t go because they haven’t cleared the street where we’re parked,” she said.
“This is not something I’ve seen before,” said the witness who earlier described the traffic. “I’ve been here for several years, so it’s definitely an interesting thing.”
Police gave the all clear for the hospital and surrounding areas at around 11 a.m.
As of Friday afternoon, detectives have not identified the man.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation, as standard protocol calls for it in any police-involved shooting. The Miami Police Department will be aiding in the investigation.
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Source: wsvn
