Gentlemen, Be prepared and aware of your surroundings! Thank God the Officers are doing well!
Turnpike gunman's fateful day of mayhem capped long criminal career
3:00 p.m. EDT, May 11, 2012
HOLLYWOOD— The off-duty officer who stopped to help an accident victim hadn’t even gotten out of her cruiser when the gunman’s bullet pierced her window and struck her in the jaw.
“It's a miracle that she survived, period, end of story, because she was assaulted from point blank range,” Key Biscayne Police Chief Charles Press told the Sun Sentinel on Friday.
Brownsville Key Biscayne Police Officer Nelia Real, 54, was one of two South Florida law enforcement officers shot on Florida's Turnpike during rush hour on Thursday by a man who unleashed four hours of mayhem and terror before taking his own life. His actions caused hours of gridlock on the busy highway, leaving thousands of drivers stranded for miles.
David Bradley, 23, of Miami Gardens, capped a long criminal history with a two-county crime spree that included two carjackings and a strong-arm robbery at a Pembroke Pines barbershop.
Records show Bradley had been arrested 19 times since 2006, the last three times for selling cocaine. The majority of the offenses, committed in Miami-Dade and in Broward counties, involved nonviolent crimes. There were two snatching robberies early on his record, followed by several years of trespassing, loitering and drug possession arrests.
The gunman’s sister, Alecia Bradley, said another brother had been murdered in March, and Bradley had stopped going to his job at a restaurant in Miami-Dade County.
“This is very shocking to all of us,” she said by phone. “As a family we know that he was going through a rough time.”
They grew up in the Brownsville neighborhood just northwest of the Miami city line, but the family moved to southern Broward County about 10 years ago, she said. Bradley attended Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, but did not graduate, although he later obtained a high school equivalency certificate, she said.
She said the family wanted the injured police officers to know they were sorry for what happened.
“As a family, we don’t know his motive,” she said. “Only him and God know what he was going through. As far as any violence he did, we apologize. It’s sad what happened. I’m glad that they survived.”
The string of violence began at 2:20 p.m. Thursday with the carjacking of a van near Northwest 75th Street and 27th Avenue in Miami-Dade County.
Bradley, the suspect in that robbery, was reportedly later involved in an armed robbery at a Pembroke Pines barber shop, Maxim Cuts, in the 1400 block of South Palm Avenue. After taking money from the register and from the wallets of customers, he hustled out with $350 in cash, the owner said.
An unidentified security officer, who was getting a haircut, ran after Bradley and started firing at him. It is unclear whether Bradley shot back.
Merchants in the shopping strip on Friday also talked about a miracle, since no one was injured.
“I heard about six shots. I didn’t think they were shots because of where we were and the time of day,” said Archie Grant, who runs a real estate office nearby. “A client was coming down while the shots were firing. She was behind a column, saying ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God!’ “
Bradley reportedly then dumped the van in Miramar and later stole a second vehicle, a black Infiniti G35, in the Miami Gardens area.
The FBI, which handles carjackings, was on the case at this point and actively searching for the Infiniti.
About 5:30 p.m., Bradley inexplicably crashed the stolen Infiniti on the turnpike, setting off another wave of mayhem, this time on unsuspecting officers who were on their afternoon commute home.
Real was the first to be shot as she stopped to help what she thought were injured motorists.
Moments after Real was shot, Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Osvaldo Petitfrere came upon the scene. He rushed the Key Biscayne officer to the hospital in his squad car.
Assistant Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez, a 10-year veteran with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who was off duty and on his way home, also stopped when he saw the wreck and was shot on the arm as he tried to confront the gunman.
Tamarac Bradley then shot and killed himself, horrifying many who witnessed the violence during the afternoon rush hour.
“Witnessed the guy walking on the turnpike with a gun,” wrote Tamarac resident Rebecca Novoa on her Twitter account. “Walked by my car…thank you Lord for protecting me.”
Investigators revealed on Friday that one other car was shot at. The unidentified motorist managed to drive his bullet-riddled Altima Nissan off the highway and call police. He was not hurt. No additional cars were shot at, authorities said..
The two officers Bradley shot remained hospitalized at Hollywood’s Memorial Regional Hospital on Friday. Also at the hospital was Broward Sheriff's Deputy Enid Conley, 23, who wrecked her cruiser while on her way to the shootings. She suffered a broken leg. All three officers are expected to recover from their injuries.
On Friday, officers, friends and family, as well as strangers from throughout the region, applauded the efforts of the three injured officers and waited for word on their conditions.
Ryan Le Grange, who owns a computer store on Key Biscayne and knows Real only from seeing her on the streets, stopped by the police station Friday to see what he could do.
“It’s a small island and we see her every day. She’s dedicated, and it’s not the easiest island to work, with lots of different types of people,” he said.
Real, a 16-year veteran who heads the department traffic unit, is the first Key Biscayne officer ever shot.
Described as one of the most popular officers in the village, Real started as a police dispatcher in 1996 and became a sworn officer the next year.
Thursday afternoon was not the first time Real has stopped to render aid while off duty, her chief said on Friday.
“She’s probably done that at least a dozen times in the last year alone. It’s one of the most dangerous things a cop can do,” he said. “But Officer Real is one of those special people that is dedicated not only to this community that she serves, but to the community as a whole. Wherever she is at.”
Press said he will never try to discourage Real or any other officer from stopping to render aid while off duty.
“Police officers are 24/7 individuals and every time they drive that marked unit to and from work, they are targets and potential victims,” the chief said. “I always encourage my officers to be there for anybody, anywhere, anytime.”
Staff writers Lori Todd, Barbara Hijek and Erika Pesantes contributed to this report.
www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cri...120510,0,4332380.story?page=2&obref=obnetwork
Turnpike gunman's fateful day of mayhem capped long criminal career
3:00 p.m. EDT, May 11, 2012
HOLLYWOOD— The off-duty officer who stopped to help an accident victim hadn’t even gotten out of her cruiser when the gunman’s bullet pierced her window and struck her in the jaw.
“It's a miracle that she survived, period, end of story, because she was assaulted from point blank range,” Key Biscayne Police Chief Charles Press told the Sun Sentinel on Friday.
Brownsville Key Biscayne Police Officer Nelia Real, 54, was one of two South Florida law enforcement officers shot on Florida's Turnpike during rush hour on Thursday by a man who unleashed four hours of mayhem and terror before taking his own life. His actions caused hours of gridlock on the busy highway, leaving thousands of drivers stranded for miles.
David Bradley, 23, of Miami Gardens, capped a long criminal history with a two-county crime spree that included two carjackings and a strong-arm robbery at a Pembroke Pines barbershop.
Records show Bradley had been arrested 19 times since 2006, the last three times for selling cocaine. The majority of the offenses, committed in Miami-Dade and in Broward counties, involved nonviolent crimes. There were two snatching robberies early on his record, followed by several years of trespassing, loitering and drug possession arrests.
The gunman’s sister, Alecia Bradley, said another brother had been murdered in March, and Bradley had stopped going to his job at a restaurant in Miami-Dade County.
“This is very shocking to all of us,” she said by phone. “As a family we know that he was going through a rough time.”
They grew up in the Brownsville neighborhood just northwest of the Miami city line, but the family moved to southern Broward County about 10 years ago, she said. Bradley attended Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, but did not graduate, although he later obtained a high school equivalency certificate, she said.
She said the family wanted the injured police officers to know they were sorry for what happened.
“As a family, we don’t know his motive,” she said. “Only him and God know what he was going through. As far as any violence he did, we apologize. It’s sad what happened. I’m glad that they survived.”
The string of violence began at 2:20 p.m. Thursday with the carjacking of a van near Northwest 75th Street and 27th Avenue in Miami-Dade County.
Bradley, the suspect in that robbery, was reportedly later involved in an armed robbery at a Pembroke Pines barber shop, Maxim Cuts, in the 1400 block of South Palm Avenue. After taking money from the register and from the wallets of customers, he hustled out with $350 in cash, the owner said.
An unidentified security officer, who was getting a haircut, ran after Bradley and started firing at him. It is unclear whether Bradley shot back.
Merchants in the shopping strip on Friday also talked about a miracle, since no one was injured.
“I heard about six shots. I didn’t think they were shots because of where we were and the time of day,” said Archie Grant, who runs a real estate office nearby. “A client was coming down while the shots were firing. She was behind a column, saying ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God!’ “
Bradley reportedly then dumped the van in Miramar and later stole a second vehicle, a black Infiniti G35, in the Miami Gardens area.
The FBI, which handles carjackings, was on the case at this point and actively searching for the Infiniti.
About 5:30 p.m., Bradley inexplicably crashed the stolen Infiniti on the turnpike, setting off another wave of mayhem, this time on unsuspecting officers who were on their afternoon commute home.
Real was the first to be shot as she stopped to help what she thought were injured motorists.
Moments after Real was shot, Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Osvaldo Petitfrere came upon the scene. He rushed the Key Biscayne officer to the hospital in his squad car.
Assistant Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez, a 10-year veteran with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who was off duty and on his way home, also stopped when he saw the wreck and was shot on the arm as he tried to confront the gunman.
Tamarac Bradley then shot and killed himself, horrifying many who witnessed the violence during the afternoon rush hour.
“Witnessed the guy walking on the turnpike with a gun,” wrote Tamarac resident Rebecca Novoa on her Twitter account. “Walked by my car…thank you Lord for protecting me.”
Investigators revealed on Friday that one other car was shot at. The unidentified motorist managed to drive his bullet-riddled Altima Nissan off the highway and call police. He was not hurt. No additional cars were shot at, authorities said..
The two officers Bradley shot remained hospitalized at Hollywood’s Memorial Regional Hospital on Friday. Also at the hospital was Broward Sheriff's Deputy Enid Conley, 23, who wrecked her cruiser while on her way to the shootings. She suffered a broken leg. All three officers are expected to recover from their injuries.
On Friday, officers, friends and family, as well as strangers from throughout the region, applauded the efforts of the three injured officers and waited for word on their conditions.
Ryan Le Grange, who owns a computer store on Key Biscayne and knows Real only from seeing her on the streets, stopped by the police station Friday to see what he could do.
“It’s a small island and we see her every day. She’s dedicated, and it’s not the easiest island to work, with lots of different types of people,” he said.
Real, a 16-year veteran who heads the department traffic unit, is the first Key Biscayne officer ever shot.
Described as one of the most popular officers in the village, Real started as a police dispatcher in 1996 and became a sworn officer the next year.
Thursday afternoon was not the first time Real has stopped to render aid while off duty, her chief said on Friday.
“She’s probably done that at least a dozen times in the last year alone. It’s one of the most dangerous things a cop can do,” he said. “But Officer Real is one of those special people that is dedicated not only to this community that she serves, but to the community as a whole. Wherever she is at.”
Press said he will never try to discourage Real or any other officer from stopping to render aid while off duty.
“Police officers are 24/7 individuals and every time they drive that marked unit to and from work, they are targets and potential victims,” the chief said. “I always encourage my officers to be there for anybody, anywhere, anytime.”
Staff writers Lori Todd, Barbara Hijek and Erika Pesantes contributed to this report.
www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cri...120510,0,4332380.story?page=2&obref=obnetwork
