I recently wrote a bit about this incident based on what I knew from a few articles and video presentations of the shooting. Afterward, I got an email from a long time reader, Marcus Wynne, suggesting that I read this book, so pretty soon I was on Amazon and downloaded it and added to my growing list of books to read, albeit at the top of the list. I'm glad I did since it sheds a lot more light on the events of that day than any other presentation I've seen or article that I've read.
As a brief background, the 1986 Miami shootout was between 8 FBI agents and two murderers and bank robbers. The FBI agents had uncovered evidence which gave them not only a description of the robbers' most recent (stolen) vehicle but also the license plate number. Doing sweeps through an area that they believed the robbers might next strike a bank, one pair of agents came across the car as it was being driven by the robbers. As the other agents converged on the area, they wound up following the robbers onto a side street and decided to forcibly stop the car by ramming and pushing it off the road. After multiple collisions had stopped all the vehicles, the agents on scene and the robbers became involved in a shoot-out that ultimately left the two robbers dead, two of the agents dead, and all but one of the remaining agents injured, some quite seriously. One of the consequences of the incident is that the FBI earnestly investigated the terminal ballistics of handgun and rifle bullets, including penetration through various barriers as well as terminal effectiveness at wounding a person. This initially led to the FBI adopting the 10 mm pistol and, later, the .40 S&W pistol as standard issue side arms, and ultimately to the better defensive handgun bullets that we enjoy today.
Some may question what value this book would have for the prepper or self-defender since we are not going to be involved in vehicle stops of armed bank robbers. My answer is because it is possible that we will be involved in a gun fight in and around vehicles, against someone that is better armed than are we. For instance, I'm sure all of you are aware of the recent shooting at a Fed Ex facility by a deranged gunman. Although missing from initial news reports, we've since learned that a victim armed with a handgun tried to confront the gunman and was shot dead. The article does not provide details of the event other than the confrontation must have occurred in or near the parking lot of the facility. Statistically, our lone defender was probably armed with a handgun, while the shooter was armed with a rifle. Although this is pure conjecture, it is likely that our armed defender probably tried to go toe-to-toe with the shooter--openly confronting the shooter, maybe even challenging him. So, with that in mind, there are lessons to be taken from the Miami incident.
A lot of criticism has been aimed at the agents involved for their decision to try and force the bank robbers' vehicle off the road which is when a lot of things started to go wrong. After reading this account, I can understand why the agents decided it was necessary in order to keep the robbers from escaping. But the decision to do so was made on the fly and, per Edmundo Mireles, none of the agents had actually been trained how to do so. For instance, Edmundo admitted that he had heard of the PIT maneuver, but had no training or experience with it. The lesson is to acquire the knowledge and skills you need for prepping and self-defense before you need them.
Although there were several negative consequences that resulted from ramming the suspects' vehicle and subsequent automobile crashes, probably the worst was that two agents lost their handguns in the impact and another agent lost his glasses. Edmundo related that because of the difficulty of drawing weapons from a seated position in a car, two of the agents had drawn their weapons during the chase and put them underneath their thighs to allow ready access. During the collisions, these loose handguns went flying and were lost in the interior of the vehicles. One of the agents had a backup 5-shot revolver, so at least he was still armed. The other agent had no backup weapon, believed that his weapon had gone flying out of the vehicle and onto the street, and was shot while looking for his weapon. The lesson from this is that handguns need to be kept in their holsters until needed; and each style of carrying and holsters has its good and bad points. In this case, strong side hip provides poor access to someone driving a vehicle.
One thing that I've heard over and over concerning this incident is how the FBI agents were outgunned because the agents were armed with handguns and facing off against a criminal duo armed with a Mini-14 rifle and a shotgun. But Edmundo actually states otherwise: all the agents that day were armed with some sort of long arm. Most of them had shotguns, but one had been issued an AR rifle and another was armed with an MP-5 submachine gun. The problem is that, with the exception of Edmundo who had his shotgun in hand, these long arms were all locked in the trunks of the FBI vehicles and the agents weren't able to access them once the shooting started. Something to think about for those of you planning on using a trunk gun. The Mireles's related that after this shooting, the FBI did move to equipment allowing the firearm to be stored and accessed from the interior of the vehicle.
The mindset of the people involved played a major role in this incident. As an initial matter, the agents approached this with a law enforcement mindset and experience. Accordingly, they went into this encounter believing that the robbers would probably surrender just because they were outnumbered, and certainly if they were wounded. The bank robbers, however, both had military backgrounds, and so their mindset was to assault through the ambush. Thus the robbers took the initiative and delivered heavy and accurate fire with the intent of suppressing the agents and getting to an operable vehicle to make their escape. Conversely, with the exception of Edmundo who went on the offensive at the end of the gun battle, the FBI agents had taken a more defensive posture of seeking cover and exchanging fire rather than taking a more aggressive role. We saw something similar in the 2016 attack on police officers in Dallas where an officer had hidden behind a pillar and was out-flanked and shot. In any event, Edmundo was eventually able to maneuver to a position allowing him to attack the suspects with surprise and speed, killing both of them as they sat in an FBI vehicle they were going to use to escape. The lesson from this is that you may need to adjust your aggressiveness to the situation and take the initiative by flanking and attacking; at a minimum, you will need to guard against the possibility that the enemy may maneuver in order to get around your cover.
Another issue of mindset that undermined the effectiveness of the FBI agents was a type of arrogance. Both of the Mireles's reported through the book that they or other agents admitted to thinking "this can't happen to us. We're the FBI." Don't get trapped in that feeling. Work the problem.
Finally, Edmundo's survival and ultimately prevailing was due to the providence of God and Edmundo's sheer determination to not die and to kill the two robbers. Edmundo had been seriously injured early in the gun fight, receiving a hit from the .223 in his left arm. Fortune smiled on Edmundo because the position of his arm prevented the .223 from striking him in the heart, but did leave his lower arm dangling from a piece of flesh. Another shot resulted in a glancing blow to the head that bled profusely but was not lethal. But although Edmundo struggled with loosing consciousness, he refused to die and, in fact, determined that even if he was going to die, he wasn't going to let the robbers kill or wound any more of his fellow agents. Thus, he attacked and attacked again, first with his shotgun, and later (and ultimately with what proved lethal to the robbers) with his .357 revolver.
This perseverance also paid off when he was attempting to recover and recuperate from his wounds.
In short, this book is an in-depth and insightful account into the 1986 Miami FBI shootout. It is both interesting reading and has lessons for the prepper or person interested in self-defense.
Edmundo is a former Marine. That mindset was there.
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