Friends have identified the slain UPS driver as Frank Ordonez, 27, saying Thursday was his first day on the job

Four people are dead including the two robbers, the UPS driver and a bystander inside an idle car nearby

As many as 19 officers descended on the truck once it was stopped, spraying the vehicle with 200 rounds

A chase ensued with 40 emergency vehicles pursuing the suspects for about 25 miles through Coral Gables

Crooks fled in rented U-Haul truck but abandoned it a mile away and hijacked UPS truck and driver

Owner exchanged gunfire with robbers and female employee was struck in the head by a ricocheting bullet

Duo of jewelry thieves hit the Regent Jewelers store outside Miami at about 4.15pm on Thursday


A UPS driver who was taken hostage, a bystander and two jewelry thieves have been killed in a police shootout following a diamond heist and high-speed pursuit in South Florida.

The mayhem began when two armed robbers hit the Regent Jewelers in Coral Gables at around 4.15pm on Thursday, and ended a little over an hour later and 25 miles away in a hail of bullets, as cops fired 200 rounds to bring down the hardened criminals.

Caught in the deadly crossfire were a bystander in a nearby car and hostage Frank Ordonez, a 27-year-old UPS driver and father-of-one who was on his first day on the job.

A female employee at the jewelry store was also struck in the head by a gunman's bullet, which ricocheted off the shop's floor. She was reportedly in stable condition.

After the jewelry store owner pulled his own weapon and fired on them, the two desperate criminals fled the store in a rented U-Haul truck, which they abandoned a mile away as police closed in.

Seeking any escape, the robbers hijacked a UPS truck and took Ordonez hostage as they led police on a high-speed pursuit through Miami rush-hour traffic.

Jewelry store thieves in a hijacked UPS truck are pictured in a shootout with police after a high-speed chase from Coral Gables, Florida, ended when the vehicle got stuck in traffic on a highway near Miramar

Kevin Reinoso of Miami tweeted a video sent to him by a friend of officers rushing in to stop the suspects and protect bystanders from harm

Friends have identified the slain UPS driver was 27-year-old Frank Ordonez. Ordonez, who was on the first day of the job, leaves behind a one-year-old daughter according to his Facebook page

The violence started after two thieves entered Regent Jeweler's store in Coral Gables (1) before they abducted Frank Ordonez's UPS truck a mile away (2). They then led a police chase for 23 miles which ended with a shootout on Flamingo Road (3) which resulted in four people being killed

Police say the pair of robbers were after diamonds at the Regent Jeweler's store on the Miracle Mile.

After entering the store, employees set off a silent alarm which alerted police, who were on the scene within a minute and a half.

But by that time, the store owner had pulled his own gun and fired upon the surprised robbers, who returned shots, striking a female employee in the head. She is in stable condition.

The jewel thieves then fled in their U-Haul van but ditched it a mile away, where they hijacked the UPS truck and abducted Ordonez, who leaves behind a one-year-old daughter.

The robbers led police on a wild chase for 23 miles before the truck became stuck in traffic and a shootout erupted.

As many as 19 officers descended on the truck, spraying the vehicle with more than 200 rounds, a source told WFOR.

The armed robbers had first targeted Regent Jewelers where they were after diamonds before they became engaged in a shootout with the owner

It was Ordonez's (above) first day as a driver after having completed his training, and he had been excited about going to work

A coworker said that Thursday had been Ordonez's first day as a driver after having completed his training, and that he had been excited about going to work.

A GoFundMe page went up late Thursday to raise funds for Ordonez. It was set up by Local 804, a union that represents UPS workers in New York, to help Odonez's family with funeral costs.

UPS did not mention him by name, but released a statement saying the package delivery company was 'deeply saddened' he had been a 'victim of this senseless violence'.

One bullet was even found to have struck the Coral Gables City Hall during the exchange at the jewelry store.

City Clerk Billy Urquia told the Miami Herald he was in his office when he heard a gun shot.

He then heard a second gun shot and then the sound of a bullet piercing his window.

'The bullet ricocheted off the wall and landed on the floor,' Urquia said Thursday night. 'The last one I heard was the one that came in.'

The suspects then made their escape in the hijacked UPS truck, taking its driver hostage and leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit. The chase was captured by news outlets and broadcast live as the drama unfolded.

Bullet holes are seen around the UPS logo of the truck after the shootout between police and the armed jewelry store robbery suspects who authorities say hijacked the vehicle. As many as 19 officers descended on the truck once it was finally stopped, spraying the vehicle with more than 200 rounds

Killed at the scene were the two suspects, the abducted UPS driver and a bystander who was inside an idle car near the mayhem

The police chase was broadcast on live TV and showed the UPS truck travelling down Flamingo Road before it became stuck in traffic at the Miramar Parkway intersection

A coworker said that Thursday had been Ordonez's first day as a driver after having completed his training, and that he had been excited about going to work

Authorities investigate the scene after the wild shooting which left four dead including two innocent people

Bullet holes are seen around the UPS logo of the hijacked truck at the scene of the shooting in Miramar, Florida

Debris is seen on the ground near where authorities are investigating the scene of the shootout following a 23-mile chase

Rush-hour had started when the truck made its getaway and as many as 40 emergency vehicles pursued.

The UPS truck made its way up the Florida Turnpike, then on to Okeechobee Road and finally Interstate 75 into Broward County.

The suspects fired upon cops during the pursuit, the Miami Herald reports.

After running several red lights and making harrowing maneuvers in an attempt to escape, the truck became stuck in traffic on Miramar Parkway near Flamingo Road around 5.30pm.

Motorists and bystanders watched as police officers frantically scrambled to stop the suspects.

Police were then seen approaching the truck and opening fire into the vehicle, reports WPLG.

Footage from the scene show shots being fired, and a man's leg becomes visible in the truck's passenger side door, followed by another man climbing over him who covers his head for protection from the spray of bullets.

Coral Gables police officers guard a crime scene perimeter at an alley way south of Coral Way after a robbery at Regent Jewelers

The pursuit began shortly after a jewelry store in Coral Gables set off a silent alarm about 4.15pm, said Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak (left). UPS did not mention him by name, but released a statement (right) saying the package delivery company was 'deeply saddened' he had been a 'victim of this senseless violence'

A bystander in this dark sedan was fatally struck in the hail of bullets as the crooks shot it out with police

Dozens of cops arrived as blood could be seen covering the roadway and at least one person was airlifted to an area hospital after the violence ended.

The follow-up investigation includes support from the FBI.

'This is what dangerous people do to get away', Hudak said. 'And this is what people will do to avoid capture'.

Hours after the chase ended, medical gauze, wrappers and other debris remained strewn across the Miramar roadway’s middle lane, next to the truck which still had its right rear door open.

Traffic remained snarled, and it was not clear how long it would take investigators to clear the scene.

UPS spokesman David Graves said they are staying in touch with authorities. He didn’t share any information about the driver, Ordonez.

His brother Roy, in a social medial posting that was tweeted by Amber Diaz, a reporter at WFOR, quotes his anguish over the loss.

'You know I'll always love you,' the grieving man wrote, addressing his dead brother. 'You always wanted the best for me, and you know I'd do anything for you. I feel like I'm dreaming, Frank.'