A 15-year-old boy is facing a felony charge after a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detective shot him in the leg Thursday afternoon in Goulds. The sheriff's office said the teen pointed a loaded handgun at the detective before the officer opened fire.
The teenager, whom The Miami Age is not naming due to his age, was taken to Jackson South Medical Center for a wound to his ankle. Following his release from the hospital on Friday, he was arrested. He faces charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a minor, and resisting an officer without violence. He was being held in a juvenile justice facility.
The incident unfolded around 3:30 p.m. when detectives from the sheriff’s office’s Special Enforcement Team were in the Goulds neighborhood. According to the arrest report, the team was responding to reports of armed teenagers at Joe and Enid W. Demps Park.
A foot chase ends in gunfire
Upon canvassing the area, detectives located a group of teens about a block south of the park on Southwest 221st Street. When the officers exited their vehicle, the youths fled on foot. One detective pursued the 15-year-old, who ran behind a nearby house.
The arrest report states the teen ignored “multiple commands to surrender” from the pursuing detective. During the chase, the boy tripped and fell. As he rolled over onto his back, he allegedly pointed a handgun at the detective. The officer, “fearing for his life,” fired his service weapon, striking the teen in the ankle. The report did not specify how many shots were fired.
Investigators recovered a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine near the boy. The firearm was reported stolen in July, according to the sheriff's office.
Second teen arrested and more firearms recovered
Another teenager from the group, a 17-year-old, was also arrested in connection with the incident. As he ran from detectives, he was seen clutching his waistband “as if attempting to conceal and control a firearm,” the arrest report noted.
The 17-year-old ran into a home on Southwest 220th Terrace. He emerged moments later and surrendered to the deputies. At the time of his arrest, he was not armed. However, detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and discovered two loaded handguns inside a hallway closet. The weapons recovered were a Taurus .9 mm with an extended magazine and a loaded .40 caliber Taurus pistol.
The older teen was arrested on charges of tampering with physical evidence while armed, carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a minor, and resisting an officer without violence. He was also taken into juvenile custody. The Miami-Dade Juvenile Services Department oversees such cases, providing supervision and rehabilitation services for youth offenders.
Stolen firearms a persistent threat in public spaces
The incident in Goulds is part of a troubling pattern of gun-related crimes, often involving stolen weapons, occurring in public spaces across Miami-Dade. In a separate case last year, a man caused panic in a downtown Miami park by brandishing a firearm and threatening people. In another concerning incident, a guide to California's best public high schools revealed data on youth safety and school districts' responses to crime.
Witness Jens Klapatsch, who was walking his dog, recounted the terrifying experience. He heard gunshots and then saw a man with a gun walking quickly toward him.
I could hear two gunshots. I saw some guy walking really fast towards me and then I saw he has a gun.. He yelled at me, ‘armed and dangerous, armed and dangerous.’ He was talking to himself.
The suspect in that incident, 33-year-old Brent Williams, a convicted felon, was quickly arrested by Miami police. The gun he was carrying was reported stolen out of Miami Gardens. The incident highlights the ever-present danger posed by illegal firearms in the community.
Concerns over youth gun violence have also been prominent. In 2023, a 19-year-old was arrested after he allegedly filmed himself pointing a handgun at a Miami-Dade Schools Police car parked outside Gateway Environmental K-8 Learning Center in Homestead and posted the video to Instagram. The incident, which led to the young man's arrest on multiple charges including exhibiting a weapon on school property, underscores the complex challenges facing parents and educators, a topic explored in depth in a guide for parents navigating Miami's school system.
Both the 15-year-old shot in Goulds and his 17-year-old companion are now proceeding through the juvenile court system, while Brent Williams was scheduled for a bond court appearance to face his charges.
