HIALEAH, Fla. – A shirtless man wielded a rifle on Thursday just outside of a gray home in Hialeah frightening his neighbors and the parents of the children who were in a nearby daycare.
The man eventually put on a shirt and surrendered after a standoff with police officers that lasted about seven hours along East 58 Terrace, between Palm and Second avenues.
Police officers asked neighbors to stay away from windows. Ariana Alayon was among the parents who were worried about their children’s safety during the standoff.
“I just want to hug her and have her,” Alayon said.
The man’s brother, who did not want to be identified, said his brother — who police identified as 34-year-old David Rodriguez — was just heartbroken and he had snapped after a bad breakup. He said he wasn’t a bad person, he was just a man in distress.
The black pickup truck that was parked outside of the home is similar to the one that was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Pembroke Pines, police said.
Surveillance video shows the driver of the pickup truck, with a black and white U.S. flag sticker, backed up into a parked white Jeep sports utility vehicle several times.
During the standoff, the man appeared to be holding up a phone with his right hand. He was talking and moving his left arm. Sgt. Jose Torres, a spokesman for the Hialeah Police Department, said a negotiator was in communication with the suspect.
“We expect this individual to comply and just basically walk himself out with his hands up so we can get the assistance and help that this male deserves and needs,” Torres said.
There was a black bulletproof Special Weapons and Tactics team truck parked outside. Officers evacuated the daycare and reunited the children with their parents.
The man surrendered, SWAT team members put him in handcuffs at about 6:45 p.m., and a police officer drove him away in a black unmarked Dodge Charger. The hit-and-run in Pembroke Pines remains under investigation.
Watch the 6 p.m. report
Watch the 5 p.m. report
Watch the 4 p.m. report
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Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editors Allison Cubillos and Wilson Louis contributed to this report.