CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Families were joyful Friday night at the Coral Gables holiday tree lightning. The scene could not be more different a day later.
On Thursday, the Miracle Mile and Le Jeune Road intersection was shut down as detectives recovered bullet casings from the hail of gunfire unleashed there.
The FBI said Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Hill, both 41 years old, were the two armed robbers who entered Regent Jewelers.
Gunfire erupted inside and outside, behind the store in the alleyway.
Jewelry store employee Liliana Sardi, 67, was hurt in the crossfire. She was rushed to the hospital and is now at home recovering.
Alexander was a felon with a lengthy criminal history, including armed robbery and sentenced to 10 years in prison before being released in 2017.
Local 10 News spoke with his brother, Corey Smith, who said, “He just made bad decisions in life ... and it cost him his.”
Hill was also released from prison in 2017 with a criminal history for burglary and robbery.
It remains unclear if a U-Haul was the suspect's getaway vehicle or if the duo stole the rental van after a third suspect waiting to help them escape fled the scene.
The known criminals ditched the U-Haul just over a mile away on Mariana Avenue before violently carjacking the UPS truck, taking its driver hostage.