Bangkoktraveler Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 A shootout erupted Thursday in a notoriously crime-ridden section of Miami as a team of heavily armed law enforcement agents tried to serve a murder warrant, leaving two officers and a suspect dead, authorities said. Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus said the first officer, 21-year veteran Roger Castillo, had been shot once and died at the scene. The second officer, 23-year veteran Amanda Haworth, was taken to a hospital and later died from several gunshot wounds, Loftus said. Loftus said officers killed the suspect, 22-year-old Johnny Simms, who had been armed with a handgun. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez said a squad of Miami-Dade police officers  who are part of the career criminal unit of the warrants division  was serving a first-degree murder warrant in the city's impoverished Liberty City neighborhood. Loftus said officers knew Simms was inside the home  a duplex with bars on the windows  and told him to come out. "This unit is very well-trained, very well-armed, and highly protects itself," said Alvarez, a former police chief. "So they know what they're doing. It was just a tragic incident that we see here too often in Miami-Dade, of a violent suspect who could care less." Loftus said a third officer, Deidree Beecher, was being treated at a hospital for a knee injury. Several people were being questioned, but no arrests have been made, Loftus said. "Our worst nightmare was visited upon us again today," Loftus said. "Two angels from our police department were murdered today. They were murdered by someone who had murdered someone else." Barry Golden, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in South Florida, said the officers were working with a Marshals fugitive task force. The task force works to arrest people wanted for crimes from all over the country. He didn't immediately have details on what the task force had been working on Thursday. All the officers were wearing body armor and had clear police identification on them, Loftus said John Rivera, president of the Dade County Police Benevolent Association, said in an e-mail that the fallen officers were heroes. "These two officers were loving family members, friends and our neighbors. They wanted to serve their community and make it a better, safer place for all of us," Rivera said. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Maybe I watch too much TV, but isnt this 'just another day in a US city' ? The gun battles on the *other* side of the border usually rack up a much higher body count, particularly given that the gangs have better weapons than the Police. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Why isn't this in the USA thread? Or maybe Miami belongs in the Cuban thread. p.s. If I were a sexist, I might ask why women were sent to arrest an armed and dangerous male suspect. But I'm not, so I won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Hi, "21-year veteran" A 21-year veteran? At what age did he start? 6? Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCorinthian Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 English there Khunsanuk. English. If you are a "21 year veteran" and started at 21 you are 42 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCorinthian Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Maybe I watch too much TV, but isnt this 'just another day in a US city' ? Hummmm..... http://www.gustey.com/2010-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world 2010 Most Dangerous Cities in the World: #10) Bangkok Thailand- Thailand is the #1 producer of opium and heroin in the world. A major transit for those drugs is the capital Bangkok. Therefore making it unsafe. Last year they had, 20,000 assaults, 13,500 burglaries, and 5,000 murders. That ranks top in south east Asia. The violence and crime due to social unrest makes Bangkok top 10 for sure. US Cities in the top 10? Zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Hi, "If you are a "21 year veteran" and started at 21 you are 42 years old." Oops Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Maybe I watch too much TV' date=' but isnt this 'just another day in a US city' ? [/quote'] Hummmm..... http://www.gustey.com/2010-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world 2010 Most Dangerous Cities in the World: #10) Bangkok Thailand- Thailand is the #1 producer of opium and heroin in the world. A major transit for those drugs is the capital Bangkok. Therefore making it unsafe. Last year they had, 20,000 assaults, 13,500 burglaries, and 5,000 murders. That ranks top in south east Asia. The violence and crime due to social unrest makes Bangkok top 10 for sure. US Cities in the top 10? Zero. Travel blogs are generally not considered to be very reliable if even credible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Who ya gonna believe - 5,000 murders a year??? << Armed robbery and violence against tourists are rare, but murders involving tourists and long-term foreign residents do occur. A dramatic increase in the number of illegal immigrant workers in Thailand has resulted in many of the crimes being committed by these illegal immigrants. However, Bangkok is generally considered safe from the standpoint of violent crime. [color:red]The rates for violent crimes such as murders and muggings are fairly low when compared to other large Asian and international cities.[/color] >> Wikipedia - sourced from: "OSAC - Bangkok, Thailand: 2006 Crime and Safety Report" 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World in 2010 !!! - two are in the US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 That list sounds more believable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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