As the robbers left, a bystander named Tomas Ramirez a tall, athletic young man, no more than twenty rushed to the now-unconscious policeman. Observing a portable radio protruding from the wounded officer's gun belt, Ramirez grabbed it and pressed a button at the side.
In the police Communication Center his first message was received and logged.
"Hello, hello. This is Tom Ramirez. Is anybody there?"
A woman dispatcher responded calmly, "Yes, I am. Where did you get the police radio? Is everything all right?"
"No, my God, it isn't! There's been a robbery and shooting here at the bank. Two policemen are shot. Send some help, please."
"Okay, sir. Do not push the button at the side while I am talking. Where are you? Please give me your location.'' The dispatcher was typing into a computer while she talked, her report repeated on the computer screens of six other dispatchers in the communication center.
"Uh, I'm at Coral Way and Thirty-second Avenue, in the parking lot of the Barnett Bank. One policeman and the guard look dead, I think the other policeman's dying. Hurry, please."
Other dispatchers, reading their computer monitors, were already summoning help.
The first dispatcher replied, "Sir, we are on the way. Have the suspects left?"
"Yes, they jumped into their car a gray Buick Century. There were three of them. They all had guns. They really shot up the policemen. They look dead."
"Okay, sir. Try to calm down. We need your help."
Another dispatcher had turned switches, opening the way for a BOLO. It would reach all county and state police and every other law enforcement agency. The call was preceded by a five-second loud continuous tone, signaling its importance and priority. The tone and message following would override all other transmissions everywhere.
"Attention all units. A three-two-nine just occurred at Coral Way and Thirty-second Avenue, Barnett Bank. There are reports of at least two officers down. Suspects left the scene in a gray Buick Century."
The number "three" in the message indicated emergency; the "two-nine" was a signal code for robbery.
From every part of the city, police units began converging at high speed on the Barnett Bank at Coral Way. As a TV reporter commented soon after, "When a cop gets shot, everyone heads for the scene. There are no holds barred. All hell breaks loose."
By now another dispatcher had summoned Fire-Rescue ambulances and paramedics.
The first dispatcher: "Mr. Ramirez, are you still there?" "Yes. I can hear sirens. Thank God they're coming."
"Sir, were you able to get any description of the suspects?"
"I got the license. NZD six-two-one, a Florida plate."
The dispatcher, quickly transferring the information to her computer, thought, This guy is one good citizen!
Another dispatcher promptly sent a second BOLO, again preceded by the five-second priority tone, with the license number of the suspects' car.
"Mr. Ramirez, did you see what the suspects looked like?"
"I got a pretty good look. Yes, I can describe them."
"That's excellent, sir. Please stay there until a unit arrives, and give them that information."
"They're all arriving now. Thank God!"
* * *
Homicide's Lieutenant Newbold, driving with his radio on channel three, heard the Ramirez call for help. Newbold immediately switched his radio to the special surveillance channel and called Ainslie, whose voice, also from a car, came back promptly.
"QSK, Lieutenant."
"Malcolm, take all your people off surveillance. Get them to Coral Way and Thirty-second Avenue. Two policemen and a security guard have been shot in an armored truck robbery, one policeman and the guard reported DOA. I want you to handle it. Assign whoever you want to lead."
Ainslie permitted himself a silent Damn! knowing this unexpected new priority meant the surveillance program was going down the tubes. Aloud, he transmitted, "Okay, Lieutenant. I'll take my units."
The surveillance teams, monitoring the same channel, should have heard the exchange, but Ainslie called, "Thirteen-ten to all units. Did you hear that?"
"Thirteen-eleven to thirteen-ten. Heard it." The other teams on duty made identical reports.
"Then go to Coral Way and Thirty-second, guys. I'll meet you there."
Switching channels, Ainslie called, "Thirteen-ten to dispatcher. Ask any unit on the shooting scene to go to Tac One for me." Tac One was the Homicide channel.
A familiar voice responded from the Barnett Bank scene: "Thirteen-ten, this is one-seven-zero. QSK."
Ainslie asked, "Is this Bart?" Bartolo Esposito was a uniform patrol sergeant, but last names were never used on radio, mainly because the media was listening.
"Sure is, Malcolm. We got big trouble here. What do you want me to do?"
"Rope off the scene, as big an area as you can, and keep everyone away."
"It's being cleared now, except for Fire-Rescue. They're trying to stabilize the wounded officer before transporting."
"Thanks, Bart. I'll be there shortly."
Ainslie returned to channel three and asked the dispatcher to get ID to the scene.
"Doing that now, thirteen-ten."
On another channel Ainslie summoned a state attorney.
* * *
On arriving at the Barnett Bank, Malcolm Ainslie appointed Detective Ruby Bowe as lead investigator. She immediately began questioning several witnesses, including Tomas Ramirez, who supplied a surprisingly good description of the three gunmen, now widely sought fugitives. Despite that information, and the earlier description of the getaway car and license number, the suspects had not been seen, so it seemed likely they had gone into hiding, probably not far away.
Only minutes after Lieutenant Newbold reached the crime scene, Lieutenant Daniel Huerta of Robbery arrived, too. His first words to Newbold were, "I know this is now your scene, Leo, but I need all my people back immediately."
"You got 'em," Newbold told him.
They agreed that Robbery could probably help in identifying the suspects, who most likely had previous robbery records.
Though no one said so, there was always a competitive edge between Robbery and Homicide. Neither side, however, was foolish enough to let rivalry impede an investigation.
As all leads were followed, evidence and information accumulated, including positive identification of the three killers by several witnesses who had pored over mug shots from police files. The charges would now be triple murder, because the wounded second policeman had since died.
Tips from informants about possible hideaways resulted in raids unproductive until two of the offenders were spotted going into a first-floor apartment, part of an abandoned residential complex in the Deep Grove area, a seedy adjunct to Coconut Grove. Local residents who had seen the suspects called police.
Shortly before dawn on the third day after the robbery and murders, a SWAT team converged on the apartment, where all three men were sleeping. Though still heavily armed, the men were taken by surprise, handcuffed, and their weapons seized. The bag of money stolen from the armored truck was recovered, and the Buick Century used in the robbery was found two blocks away.
* * *
Ainslie now knew there was no chance of reviving the surveillance, and wasn't sure it was such a bad thing, given the disappointing results so far. Instead he concentrated on reviewing all the serial crimes. Contrary to his hopes, no leads or fresh ideas developed.
Then the unexpected happened.
Three days after the armored truck perpetrators were arrested, when routines in Homicide were beginning to return to normal, the Dade County assistant medical examiner phoned Malcolm Ainslie.