A break-up led Hialeah man to barricade himself, brandish an AR-15, cops say. He’s surrendered
An armed man fresh off a relationship breakup caused panic Thursday when he brandished an AR-15 inside and outside his home in Hialeah, according to authorities. After barricading himself for eight hours, he’s turned himself into police.
David Rodríguez was carrying his AR-15 rifle, a handgun and a propane gas tank in the parking lot of his home on East 30th Street and East 53th Terrace, until the 34-year-old surrendered to Hialeah Police sometime after 7 p.m.
Helicopter video taken by Telemundo 51 showed shirtless Rodríguez walking in and out of his home Thursday afternoon, sometimes armed with the rifle and handgun.
“We are satisfied that the situation ended without injuries. SWAT team negotiation was key,” Sgt. José Torres told el Nuevo Herald. “The family collaborated with us from the beginning. We are going to get him all the help he needs. We are going to hospitalize him.”
Dozens of neighbors waited for Rodríguez to surrender so they could return to their homes after being evacuated by authorities.
Torres said police tried to negotiate with him but he initially refused. After cutting off his electricity service, Rodríguez gave in.
Authorities were first alerted around 11:30 a.m. when a 911 call came in about a man in his front yard with an AR-15 rifle and a propane tank, authorities said.
The SWAT team descended on the area and police blocked off streets while negotiations began with Rodríguez, Torres said. Rodríguez fired a gun, but it wasn’t pointed at law enforcement or anyone outside of the house.
While the negotiating team tried convincing the man to turn himself in, the parents of more than a dozen children located in a daycare center seven houses down waited in anguish. Many of the children were handed to their parents, while some remained in the nursery.
A neighbor said he has exchanged words with the man before.
“He looks like a calm person,” the neighbor added. “I work from home, I went to drink water and suddenly I saw him, shirtless in his garage with several weapons. He did not understand what was happening, the police evacuated us from the place at noon.”
When power went out on the block to get Rodríguez to surrender, neighbors also were affected.
A neighbor named Orlando told el Nuevo Herald that his family, who lives nearby, was desperate for electricity.
“I have my wife, my 10-year-old girl, my mother-in-law and my two dogs locked up, without electricity,” he said.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 1:40 PM.
