Marlins catcher Brett Hayes tweets about seeing gunman moments before shootout
Marlins catcher Brett Hayes found himself ensnarled in a scary situation Thursday when he had a near front-row seat to a deadly police shootout on Florida’s Turnpike. Sitting in traffic on his way to a birthday party, Hayes sent out this ominous tweet:
Sitting in traffic on the turnpike and a man with a gun just walked by our car.. Not good.
The gunman Hayes saw reportedly shot two members of law enforcement before eventually turning the gun on himself on the turnpike. Both officers’ injuries are said to be non-life threatening.
“He and I made [eye] contact, and he looked like he was up to no good,” Hayes said, per the Miami Herald. “Something was very wrong. I just had a very bad feeling. My wife and I were in shock. I told her ‘Do not look at him.’ He was walking like he was walking down the street. It was really creepy, but his face….it was pretty scary to be honest with you.”
Earlier in the day, the unidentified shooter allegedly committed a carjacking before robbing a barbershop and stealing another car. The suspect eventually crashed into a vehicle on the turnpike during the afternoon rush hour. That’s when one of the wounded officers, who was off duty, attempted to offer assistance but was instead shot in the face. Law enforcement officials believe the gunman was attempting to procure another getaway car on the turnpike before being confronted by officers.
“My wife and I said a big, long prayer for [the injured officers],” Hayes said. “We heard later that they were going to be all right. What a blessing.”
H/T Eye on Baseball
Photo credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
