Police officers only intended to serve a warrant for a bank robbery to a suspect but the suspect chose to run away instead. What happened next could have been taken straight from an action film sequence- with the chase involving two carjackings before suspect jumped in the water and simply refused to surrender to the authorities. His stubborn refusal to surrender, taking on adventures- or misadventures- in the wild chase ultimately spelled the suspect’s doom as he was fatally shot by the officers.
Ernesto Padron, 52, dies at the scene. None of the police officers who responded and chased after him were injured from the shooting.
The chase started at around 6:30 a.m., when FBI agents and Miami- Dade police officers arrived at the Padron’s home in north Miami-Dade simply to serve a warrant connected to a September 29 Wells Fargo bank robbery on Sunset Drive. FBI acting assistant special agent in charge Justin Fleck said instead of calmly receiving the warrant, the suspect grabbed a handgun and ran from the officers. He also carjacked a resident’s brown car nearby and drove away.
The police officers gave chase and pursued Padron along several highways in Miami-Dade, following him along the Palmetto Expressway and the Gratigny Parkway during the morning rush hour.
Authorities said Padron managed to cross into the city of Miami. He then abandoned his first stolen car and carjacked another at gunpoint close to Northwest 21 Street and 14th Avenue.
The police continued the chase until Padron left the second carjacked SUV under the 27th Avenue bridge. Instead of surrendering, he opted to jump into the Miami River.
Officers from Miami-Dade and the city of Miami continued the chase even in the waters and surrounded Padron in boats near a concrete ledge and still tried to convince him to surrender.
Miami-Dade spokesman Carlos Rosario said officers tried to take Padron into custody after hours of wild adventures around 9:30 a.m., but he resisted and refused to drop a weapon. That’s when the officers shot him. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived after the shooting and declared Padron dead at the scene.
Initial reports say seven Miami-Dade officers and two City of Miami police officers fired at Padron. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will probe the said shooting.
Padron had an extensive criminal record, having served five different stints in state prison for charges such as robbery and burglary. He was recently arrested in Broward County on allegations he stole power tools from a Davie Home Depot in June worth $1,217 and also pointed a gun at a store security officer.
He was released in July to await trial. He was still wearing his ankle monitor when he allegedly robbed the bank.
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