Man wanted in Pembroke Pines double murder shot by deputy in Miami Gardens, authorities say
A man wanted for a double murder out of Pembroke Pines is in custody after he was spotted in Miami-Dade County by an off-duty deputy, which led to a chase and eventually a shooting involving deputies, authorities said.
Crime scene trucks and multiple law enforcement vehicles surrounded the area of Northwest 192nd Street and Sunshine State Parkway East in Miami Gardens on Sunday afternoon after police said the suspect — identified as 27-year-old Isaiah Collins — was spotted by the off-duty deputy at a local park.
No officers or civilians were injured, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is the lead on the police-involved incident.
Investigators said once Collins is released from the hospital, he will be taken to jail on two first-degree murder charges.
The man wasn't seen for days before he was spotted
Collins wasn't heard from for days, but investigators said once he was spotted, he ran across Florida's Turnpike, jumped into a nearby canal and climbed a tree before he was shot by the deputy.
"The sheriff's deputy approached the subject, the subject immediately took flight, he actually ran across the Florida Turnpike, jumped into this canal here adjacent to the street and went across the canal bank and climbed a tree," said MDSO Undersheriff Christopher Carothers.
According to investigators, Collins was considered to be armed and dangerous, and the deputy requested emergency backup, MDSO said. Once additional deputies arrived, they began to plead with Collins to come down from the tree.
"They began to engage with the subject, attempting to dialogue with the subject to get him into custody," Carothers continued.
MDSO said Collins "refused to demonstrate cooperative behavior," and made "erratic movements." At one point, Collins allegedly gestured toward his waistband, as if attempting to reach for something, and a deputy discharged his service weapon, shooting Collins in the lower arm.
"At that moment, there must've been something at the moment they realized non-compliance and there was a reason for the deputy to fire," Carothers said.
With the assistance of MDSO's Special Response Team (SRT), Collins was taken into custody. Deputies provided life-saving measures before Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded and airlifted him to HCA Aventura Hospital in stable condition.
Residents started their Sundays with police swarming their neighborhood
Cell phone video captured by Miami Gardens resident Devon shows the moments when deputies stormed his neighborhood, searching for the suspect of a double homicide.
"I was inside the house and I heard a gunshot and then I heard a helicopter overhead," he said.
Devon lives near the area and told CBS News Miami that he started his Sunday watching dozens of law enforcement officers swarming his street.
"When I came outside, he said, 'Go back inside, go back inside, go back inside!'" Devon said. "There were people jumping out over there, jumping out over that side — there was a car, jumping out right there, there were like 6 of them over there with rifles."
"They cut the lock off the gate over there, and then they got to the fence and they wanted a ladder; they had a ladder up against the fence - I guess they were calling to someone and giving them instructions," he continued.
A man wanted for double murder
Investigators said Collins is the suspect in the shooting deaths of Octavis Myers and another woman, whose name has yet to be released.
Pembroke Pines Police said that the two were found dead inside a home on Northwest 109th Avenue on Wednesday afternoon, saying that Collins had lived there with his grandmother.
No one had seen or heard from Collins until Sunday.