FORT MYERS, Fla. -- One of the two men identified as suspects in Thursday's deadly shootout in Miami had a previous criminal history in Lee County.
The FBI has identified 41-year-olds Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Hill as the armed men who hijacked a UPS truck and led police on a chase through Miami that ended in a shootout. The two men, as well as a UPS driver and a bystander, were all killed in the shootout.
On December 4, 2008, Alexander was arrested after a robbery at a Fort Myers jewelry store that left three men behind bars and another in the hospital.
Florida Highway Patrol says the driver of the getaway car was Lamar Alexander.
It all began at the Mayor's jewelry in the Bell Tower Shops on U.S. 41. Lee County deputies arrived to find the suspects leaving the scene.
Deputies began following the suspects up I-75 north into Sarasota County. That's where the suspect's car crashed and it became a foot chase.
Three were arrested and another exchanged gunfire with a deputy and the deputy shot the suspect. That man was taken to the hospital and the others, including Alexander, were taken to jail.
In November 2009, Alexander was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. He was released and granted early probation in 2017.
