Inset: Isaiah Collins (Pembroke Pines Police). Background: Authorities at the Florida home where Collins is alleged to have committed a double homicide last week (WFOR).
In Florida, a 27-year-old man has been apprehended, accused of murdering two individuals inside a home belonging to his grandmother. After spending days evading capture, he attempted to escape law enforcement by swimming across a canal and climbing a tree.
Authorities announced that Isaiah Collins has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of 28-year-old Octavis Anthony Myers and 24-year-old Tiara Belizaire-Young.
As detailed in a news release by the Pembroke Pines Police Department, first responders, including officers and firefighters, arrived at a residence in the 1700 block of NW 109 Avenue at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 10. They responded to a 911 call about an “unconscious and unresponsive man inside of a garage.” Upon arrival, they found the man, identified as Myers, and determined he had “been deceased for some time.”
Subsequently, police entered the home and discovered Belizaire-Young deceased in one of the bedrooms. The authorities have not revealed the specific causes of death but described the circumstances as “criminal in nature.”
Initially, officials stated they were concerned for Collins’ safety, as he “frequently lives with his grandmother.” However, three days following their initial statement, the department revealed that evidence had emerged implicating Collins as the perpetrator of the murders of both individuals.
The relationship between Collins and the victims was not disclosed.
Collins” whereabouts remained unknown until Sunday, when an off-duty deputy with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office spotted him at a park in the City of Miami Gardens and reported the sighting, requesting emergency backup because Collins was “considered to be armed and dangerous.” When authorities arrived, they said Collins attempted to run.
“The subject fled on foot, ran across the Florida Turnpike, jumped into a canal, swam across it, and climbed up a tree,” the sheriff’s office said in a release. “Additional deputies responded to the area and began to plead with the subject to come down. The subject refused to demonstrate cooperative behavior and was making erratic movements. At one point the subject gestured towards his waistband, as if attempting to reach for something, and a deputy discharged his service weapon, striking the subject in the lower, left arm.”
Collins was apprehended and transported via helicopter to HCA Aventura Hospital for treatment in stable condition.
After the incident, Miami-Dade Sheriff Christopher Carothers tried to explain the officer-involved shooting to a gaggle of reporters.
“There must’ve been something at the moment they realized non-compliance and there was a reason for the deputy to fire,” Carothers said, according to the Miami Herald.
In addition to the dual murder charges, Collins will face additional charges stemming from the chase and capture in Miami-Dade, authorities said.
It was not immediately clear when Collins was scheduled to appear in court.
