Three suspects faced a judge on Wednesday after a police-involved shooting tied to an armed carjacking in Homestead.
Authorities said 18-year-old Stephan Jones was shot by a deputy and hospitalized after the incident. He is charged with aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, improper exhibition of a firearm, and resisting an officer without violence.
Police union president voices alarm
The president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, Steadman Stahl, told CBS News Miami that he is alarmed by this case.
“It’s a sign of the times,” Stahl said. “It is lucky the offender is not dead. By pointing a gun at a police officer, you are going to get this reaction.”
Prosecutor cites violent gang ties
Assistant State Attorney Aaron Simkovitz underscored the gravity of the case as he addressed Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer. He described the defendant as “a member of a violent street gang” linked to homicides and robberies.
“This is an unbelievably serious matter,” Simkovitz said, “pointing a gun at a police officer.”
Carjacking reported at fitness club
The incident happened Monday night when authorities say a woman’s car was stolen at gunpoint at a fitness club in Homestead at S.W. 279th Street and S.W. 127th Avenue. Deputies responded and found the suspects in another location about 20 minutes later.
Ring camera surveillance video showed two of the suspects running away from deputies before they were caught.
Judge reads affidavit in court
In court on Wednesday, Judge Mindy Glazer read from the arrest affidavit describing the confrontation between deputies and Stephan Jones.
“He was asked to stop and show his hands, and he refused,” Glazer said. “He turned around, facing the victim and showing a black rifle pointing in his direction, and the officer thought he was going to be shot.”
Jones’s mother also appeared before the judge, telling the court she had only just learned of her son’s injuries.
“I just woke up this morning and checked everything, and I find out he’s been shot 2 times,” she said, adding that the wounds were in one of his arms.
Glazer responded bluntly. “He’s lucky to be alive,” she said. “He was shot. That is terrible.”
Bond set with restrictions for Jones
Glazer questioned Jones, asking him if he was in school. Jones said, “I graduated,” and said he did not work right now.
His mother said she paid him to babysit his three siblings. She said, “You should be checking your home, especially with little ones there.”
The mother said she regularly checked her home for weapons.
Glazer said guns were not supposed to be in her home because her son had been adjudicated before as a “delinquent.” She said, “You should not have guns in the home.”
Bond for Jones was set at $7,500. He will have to wear a GPS monitor and observe a curfew between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. He was also given a public defender.
Other suspects face serious charges
The two other suspects are 16 and 18 years old.
Eighteen-year-old Tyquawn Davis is charged with robbery, armed carjacking, and resisting officers without violence. An arrest report says the victim was held at gunpoint at the fitness club after dropping off her son for a training session at the Empire Fitness Club, and her black Chevrolet Tahoe was stolen.
In court, it was revealed that Davis was out on felony bond. Judge Glazer found probable cause for the charges and ordered him to stay away from the victim and the fitness club. He was held without bond pending another hearing on Thursday.
Judge cites firearm in arrest report
Glazer, reading from the arrest report, said, “They found Mr. Davis running away with a firearm, and they told him to sto,p and he did.”
He was ordered to have no contact whatsoever with the victim.
His mother and grandmother both appeared in bond court and were told Davis would be held without bond for now, in part because one of the charges against him could lead to life in prison if he is convicted.
