Deputies say the men tried to rob a security guard at an apartment complex before gunfire erupted and all three were wounded.
MIAMI-DADE, FL — Newly released surveillance video shows a security guard in northwest Miami-Dade fighting off two armed men who deputies say tried to rob him at an apartment complex in February, a confrontation that ended in a shootout, three injuries and felony charges against both suspects.
The video, released this week as prosecutors continue pursuing the case, adds a clearer picture to what deputies first described as an attempted robbery that turned violent before dawn on Feb. 16. Investigators say the guard was resting inside his own vehicle at Regency Pointe Apartments when the two men approached, pulled guns and searched him and the car. The case now centers on whether the footage, witness accounts and arrest records will help prosecutors prove attempted murder, armed robbery and carjacking-related charges in court.
Deputies said the shooting happened just before 4 a.m. at Regency Pointe Apartments, 1901 NW 79th St., in the West Little River area near Northwest 19th Avenue. According to investigators, the two suspects, later identified as 20-year-olds Javarus Manuel Hernandez and Fredrick Walter Pickens Jr., had been moving through the gated parking lot looking for unlocked cars. The guard, Juan Carlos Flores Gonzalez, 46, was in the passenger seat of his personal vehicle when one of the men tried the driver’s-side door, authorities said. Flores Gonzalez got out and confronted them, asking why they were on the property. What followed, deputies say, was a quick escalation from a suspicious encounter to an armed robbery. The men pulled guns, searched the guard and went through the vehicle. Surveillance video later reviewed by detectives captured the encounter and supported the guard’s account, investigators said.
Authorities said the two suspects then tried to take the vehicle. Pickens got into the driver’s seat while Hernandez moved toward the back passenger side, according to arrest records summarized by local outlets. At that point, deputies say, Flores Gonzalez managed to disarm Pickens and fired several shots. Investigators said he then exchanged gunfire with Hernandez. During that burst of violence, the guard was struck in the back of the head. Hernandez was also shot and ran from the scene, while Pickens stayed behind and was pinned down by the wounded guard after the shooting, deputies said. The guard then called 911 and reported that he had disarmed one of the men. When deputies responded to a ShotSpotter alert around 4 a.m., they found three adult men suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital as trauma alerts, and early official statements said each was in stable condition. Some details remain unclear, including exactly how many shots each person fired and whether Pickens was also hurt by the moving car as the struggle unfolded.
The scene stretched beyond the apartment complex. Investigators said Hernandez fled on foot after he was shot, leaving behind a trail of blood and bloody footprints that led deputies toward a nearby Church’s Texas Chicken parking lot on 79th Street, where he was found injured. Early that morning, neighbors told reporters they heard a rapid series of gunshots. Alberto Nolasco, who lived nearby, said he heard about 12 shots. Another resident, Diego Encanaceon, described hearing “5, 6, 7” shots in quick succession. Detectives blocked off part of the neighborhood for hours as they photographed evidence, used K9 units and marked the area between vehicles. The sheriff’s office first released only basic facts, saying robbery detectives had taken over the case after a preliminary investigation showed the two men had attempted to rob a security guard. Three days later, the office publicly identified the guard and both suspects and listed the charges then tied to the case. Investigators have not publicly released the full surveillance video timeline frame by frame, and the guard’s own public comments have not been made available.
The case gained renewed attention after Local 10 aired surveillance video on April 21 showing the attack and struggle in more detail. By then, the criminal cases had moved well beyond the initial emergency response. Prosecutors filed charges against Hernandez on Feb. 17, including armed robbery with a deadly weapon, attempted armed carjacking and attempted felony murder. He appeared before a judge remotely from a hospital bed the next day, and a judge denied bond. Pickens, who authorities described as a convicted felon, was later charged in a separate filing. Court reporting this week said prosecutors filed a case against him on March 6 accusing him of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, armed carjacking and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Reports also said Pickens was facing four additional charges in another pending case, including burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, grand theft of a firearm, fraudulent use of a credit card and criminal mischief. Judge Alberto Milian is presiding over the related cases.
The new video has sharpened public focus because it shows how quickly the encounter changed from an apparent vehicle burglary attempt into a close-range fight over weapons and control of the car. It also highlights the unusual position of the victim: a security guard resting inside his own vehicle while working the property. That detail helps explain why investigators and prosecutors have framed the case not only as robbery, but also as attempted carjacking and attempted murder. The footage does not erase the unknowns. Publicly available reports still leave open questions about the exact sequence of every shot, whether either suspect fired first after being confronted, and whether additional forensic evidence such as shell casing analysis or ballistic testing could alter parts of the timeline. What is clear from the record so far is that the case no longer turns on a simple claim from one side. Prosecutors now have surveillance footage, the 911 call, physical evidence spread across the lot and street, and statements that investigators say tie both men to the attempted robbery.
For residents near Northwest 79th Street, the case also underscored how a predawn crime can spill across a neighborhood in minutes. The guard survived a gunshot wound to the back of the head and, according to investigators, still managed to restrain one suspect until deputies arrived. Hernandez, after his no-bond appearance in February, remained in custody, according to court reporting at the time. Pickens was initially still hospitalized when his alleged role was first publicly detailed. As of the latest reporting this week, Hernandez’s arraignment had already taken place on March 18 and a trial hearing was pending for June 15. Pickens’s arraignment was reported as March 30, with his own trial hearing also pending for June 15. Another arraignment in his second case was set for April 28. For now, the latest milestone is the release of the surveillance video, which gives the public its first extended look at the violence that deputies say began with two men searching for an easy target and ended with all three in the hospital.
Author note: Last updated April 22, 2026.