MIAMI, FL – Newly released arrest details provide additional insight into an early morning robbery attempt that escalated into a shooting involving a security guard and two armed suspects in Miami-Dade County.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at approximately 3:59 a.m. on February 16, 2026, to the area of NW 19 Avenue and NW 79 Street following a ShotSpotter alert indicating gunfire. While deputies were en route, a 911 caller identified as a security guard reported that he had disarmed and restrained one of the suspects.
Investigators identified the victim as 46-year-old Juan Carlos Flores Gonzalez, who was working as a security guard at an apartment complex in the Northside District.
According to the arrest affidavit, two suspects, later identified as 20-year-old Javarus Manuel Hernandez and 20-year-old Fredrick Walter Pickens, Jr., were allegedly casing the apartment complex and attempting to access potentially unlocked vehicles prior to the confrontation.
Authorities say the victim was seated in the passenger seat of his personal vehicle when one of the suspects attempted to open the locked driver-side door. The victim exited and confronted the two individuals about their presence on the property.
Investigators allege both suspects then produced firearms and held the victim at gunpoint while searching his vehicle and his person. During the incident, Pickens entered the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle while Hernandez entered the rear passenger seat in what deputies described as an attempt to leave the scene.
The affidavit states the victim was able to disarm Pickens and shot him multiple times. An exchange of gunfire then occurred between the victim and Hernandez, who fled the scene on foot.
Deputies later followed a trail of blood droplets and bloody footprints from the incident location to a nearby parking lot, where Hernandez was located and detained pending further investigation.
During the exchange of gunfire, the victim sustained a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The victim and both suspects were transported as trauma alerts to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Hernandez admitted involvement in the incident, according to investigators. He reportedly told deputies that the co-defendant provided him with the firearm and claimed he only intended to burglarize vehicles, stating the situation escalated beyond what he expected.
Hernandez faces charges including Armed Robbery with a Firearm or Deadly Weapon, Attempted Armed Carjacking, and Attempted Felony Murder. Pickens faces related armed robbery and firearm-related charges.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Robbery Bureau has assumed investigative responsibility. The investigation remains ongoing.
Incidents like this illustrate how quickly criminal encounters can turn violent. For armed citizens and security professionals, confrontations involving multiple armed attackers present an immediate threat of serious bodily harm or death, underscoring the importance of awareness, preparation, and understanding lawful defensive force when faced with an imminent violent threat.
