Stand Your Ground hearings extend for three Miami-Dade officers charged in 2019 UPS shootout

Proceedings return to court in long-running case tied to Miramar intersection gunfire

Stand Your Ground hearings are continuing in Broward County for three suspended Miami-Dade police officers charged with manslaughter in connection with the December 5, 2019 shootout involving a hijacked UPS truck that ended at a busy Miramar intersection. The renewed hearings place the focus on whether the officers’ use of deadly force is shielded by Florida’s self-defense immunity law, a question that could determine whether the case proceeds to trial.

The officers currently seeking immunity are Rodolfo Mirabal, Richard Santiesteban and Leslie Lee. Their court appearances come months after a judge dismissed a manslaughter charge against a fourth Miami-Dade officer, Jose Mateo, after finding his use of force legally justified under Stand Your Ground in the same incident. Prosecutors have sought appellate review of that ruling, while the remaining cases continue to move through the courts.

What happened on Dec. 5, 2019

The criminal case stems from a chain of events that began with an armed robbery at a Coral Gables jewelry store and escalated into a multi-jurisdiction pursuit. Investigators have said two suspects, later identified as Ronnie Hill and Lamar Alexander, commandeered a UPS truck and forced the driver, Frank Ordonez, to remain with them as they fled.

The chase ended in Broward County amid rush-hour traffic. A barrage of gunfire followed, leaving four people dead: Ordonez, bystander Richard Cutshaw, and the two suspects. In later reviews of the incident, investigators documented that roughly 20 officers from multiple agencies fired more than 200 rounds in a short time span.

The legal question: immunity versus prosecution

Under Florida law, Stand Your Ground can provide pretrial immunity from prosecution when a defendant establishes that force was used based on a reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm. In these hearings, the defense argues the officers faced an armed threat and acted to stop it; the state contends that Stand Your Ground does not excuse criminal liability when the deaths at issue involve non-aggressors.

The hearings function as a gatekeeping stage: if the judge grants immunity, the manslaughter charges are dismissed; if not, the case can proceed toward trial.

How the charges are structured

• All four Miami-Dade officers were indicted on manslaughter counts tied to the death of UPS driver Frank Ordonez.

• Mirabal faces an additional manslaughter count connected to the death of bystander Richard Cutshaw.

• No officer was charged in the deaths of the two robbery suspects.

What comes next

The court is expected to hear additional testimony and review video and investigative evidence introduced during the hearings, including officer body-worn camera footage and witness accounts. After the evidentiary record is complete, the judge will decide whether each of the three officers is entitled to immunity. Those rulings will determine whether the prosecutions move forward and, if they do, which charges remain for trial.