Police-involved shooting near campus causes traffic delays

Update, Feb. 15:  The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Richard Grissom-Rodgers. Rodgers was charged with aggravated assault of an officer, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, premeditated murder in the first degree, grand theft of a vehicle, resisting an officer with violence, fleeing police after an incident and driving with a suspended license. A judge denied him bond. 

An investigation is underway into a police-involved shooting that happened across from the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus around 6:45 p.m. tonight.

Coral Gables Police Department (CGPD) Public Information Officer Kelly Denham said in a press briefing that an automatic license plate reader identified a stolen vehicle traveling southbound on US1. CGPD Officers surrounded the vehicle and the suspect crossed over through the lot between US1 and Ponce de Leon Blvd, and attempted to hit an officer. That was when the officer fired his weapon. The suspect was not struck by the bullet.

The suspect hit two other vehicles while heading west on Ponce de Leon, then exited his vehicle and fled on foot into the Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field on San Amaro Drive, inside the university’s campus. Officers pursued him on foot and were able to apprehend him without incident, Denham said. The suspect is now in custody but no additional information about the robbery preceding the incident in Coral Gables has been released.

University of Miami police officers were involved, she said, as they operate under CGPD. The university sent out an alert on its Emergency Notification Network about 20 mins. after the incident first occurred.

“Police activity in the southeast section of campus. No threat to life safety. Avoid the area,” the notification read.

The incident caused closures and traffic delays on Ponce de Leon between South Alhambra Circle and San Amaro Drive, on the southbound right lane of US1 and on Brescia Avenue across from the baseball stadium.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Jackie Yang and Tommy Fletcher contributed to this report.