The Miami Herald
MIAMI, Fla. — The Miami-Dade Police Department awarded its bronze medal of valor and named as joint officers of the month for March Special Patrol Bureau Sgt. Eric Mendez and Officers Edwin Gonzalez, Richard Hansen and Brad Burke and also Hammocks District Officer Emilio Teodoro.
The honor resulted from their bravery during a hostage-taking incident involving two children on the afternoon or Nov. 12, 2007, in Miami Gardens.
According to an MDPD statement, Officer April Rojas, then based at the Miami Gardens station, was on routine patrol in the area of Northwest 197th Street and Seventh Avenue, when she saw a gray 2008 Chrysler 300 speeding. She realized the car matched the description of one used in an armed carjacking incident, tried to pull it over but the driver sped away.
Miami Gardens officers Henry Grullon and Kelmi Ramos saw the car, which, the police said, was driven by Troy McLean, coming toward them and gave chase.
At Northwest 185th Drive and Eighth Avenue, Grullon and Ramos saw McLean running away through a residential and ordered him to stop as Ramos took off after him.
McLean ran into a backyard and the owner of the house, Barbara King, opened her back door. Her granddaughters, aged 3 and 8, were playing in the backyard and McLean grabbed them and pushed his way inside, pushing King and injuring her, the statement said.
Grullon and Ramos tried to go after McLean, but he locked the door to the house.
According to the statement, McLean told King and the children, “I have a gun, don’t do anything stupid.”
King hid with the girls in the laundry room while McLean paced back and forth.
About that time, Canine Units Sgts. Eric Mendez and Benjamin Ross and Officers Edwin Gonzalez, Richard Hansen and Brad Burke arrived on the scene. Mendez set up a perimeter, using Canine Units personnel, and instructed Burke to position himself in the adjacent backyard to deal with any threats posed to neighboring homes.
Mendez notified the Special Response Team and a command post was set up. Hansen located a friend of King who provided schematics of her house.
Meanwhile, King had quietly telephoned her daughter to tell her an armed gunman was holding her and the children hostage. King said she was suffering from medical complications and was unsure if she would be able to maintain consciousness much longer. The daughter -- whom the statement did not identify -- relayed their conversation to police.
Realizing the urgency of the matter, Mendez developed a plan of action with Gonzalez and Hansen to rescue the hostages, who, it was determined, were 10 feet from the back door. Mendez then called King by cellphone and told her to take the girls and run to the back door.
Officers Andy Giordani and Alfredo Palacio were deployed to the yard of an adjacent home to maintain an inner perimeter post.
The rescue team provided cover while Hansen cut a lock and chain on an exterior iron gate and the back door was forced open. Mendez and Gonzalez provided cover in case McLean tried anything.
Teodoro, who was assigned to Miami Gardens at the time, helped in the rescue by providing cover while the woman and the girls were taken to a safe area.
After the rescue, the team moved to contain McLean and after negotiations failed, officers fired tear gas into the house and McLean came out and was taken into custody.
“Thanks to their training and experience, the lives of three innocent Miami-Dade citizens were saved,” said a MDPD information officer. “This representation of the department’s highest standards, coupled with courage and a quick response, demonstrated how effective teamwork can produce a successful outcome. Their skillful actions while under extreme pressure reflect honorably upon the Department and the entire law enforcement profession.”
Copyright 2008 The Miami Herald