From tragedy can come knowledge. Today we’re going to discuss one of the deadliest law enforcement gunbattles in modern times, and take the lessons learned from it and apply them to concealed carry permit holders. So let’s get to it.
On April 11th, 1986 in Miami, Florida Federal Bureau of Investigation agents attempted to apprehend two suspects in a series of bank robberies. The vehicle pursuit and wreck escalated to a gunfight in which two agents were killed and five were wounded. The suspects were also killed. The tactics and weapons employed by the FBI and all of law enforcement would see dramatic changes as a direct result of this gun battle.
Anyone who has gone through a police academy or an officer survival course is going to be very familiar with the incident we’re going to discuss. It’s widely cited and used to teach a variety of subjects, from tactics to guns and ammunition. The Miami shootout has been dissected ad nauseum in the thirty-seven years since it occurred. Rather than do that again, we’re going to focus on some of the many lessons learned and how they apply to civilian concealed carry permit holders and other civilian uses of guns in self-defense.
If you’re not familiar with this incident, here’s a quick recap of what led up to the shootout and what transpired. The chain of events was a complex web of criminal activity and law enforcement investigations. From the initial identification of Matix and Platt as suspects to the ensuing pursuit and eventual confrontation, a series of factors influenced the intensity and outcome of the encounter.
Beginning in 1985 two former military policemen, Michael Platt and William Matix embarked on a crime spree starting with the murder of Emilio Briel for his vehicle. Using this vehicle, Platt and Matix attempted to rob an armored truck that was making a delivery, fatally wounding one of the guards but getting no money. A few weeks later the pair robbed a bank and made off with approximately forty-one thousand dollars. A month after that, they robbed an armored truck, wounding one of the guards and escaping with fifty-four thousand dollars. In March of 1986, they robbed and shot Jose Collazo, taking his black Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Collazo survived the attack and was able to provide a police artist with a description of his assailants as well as information about his car. A week after robbing Collazo the pair robbed the bank where they had earlier robbed the armored courier.
The FBI had been trying to locate the suspects, whom they had yet to identify as Platt and Matix since the first bank robbery. They knew that the same weapon had been used in the attacks, as expended cartridges had been recovered and matched to the same .223 caliber rifle. After running down several dead-end leads, Supervisory Special Agent Gordon McNeil played a hunch. He had his team performing a rolling stakeout along a sixty-block radius to look for the suspects in the Monte Carlo. Performing the rolling stakeout along with McNeill were agents Richard Manauzzi riding solo as was McNeil, Benjamin Grogan with Jerry Dove in one car, Edmundo Mireles with John Hanlon in another, and Gilbert Orrantia with Ronald Risner in the last two man car.
McNeil’s hunch paid off, and around nine thirty am Grogan and Dove saw the Monte Carlo. After radioing their discovery they were quickly joined by Hanlon and Mireles in one car and Manauzzi in another. The agents attempted to make a traffic stop on the suspects, but were ignored. The three FBI cars forced the suspect’s vehicle off the road, where it impacted a tree, and was pinned in by a parked car on the passenger side and Manauzzi’s car on the driver’s side.
Matix, from the driver’s seat fired a shotgun, wounding Manauzzi. Platt fired his rifle, a .223 caliber Ruger Mini 14, and wounded McNeil, who had arrived on the scene. Platt then wounded Mireles. McNeil fired six rounds from his revolver, hitting Matix with two rounds and knocking him unconscious. Platt shot McNeil again hitting him in the hand. Blood and bone from his injury got into his revolver’s cylinder, making it impossible for him to reload.
As Platt climbed out of the passenger window, Dove shot him with a 9mm, hitting Platt in the arm with the bullet penetrating into Platt’s chest. Platt continued to exit the vehicle, climbing across the hood of an Oldsmobile Cutlass, the parked car that was against the passenger side of the Monte Carlo. As Platt was climbing over, Dove shot at him again hitting him in the right thigh and left foot.
Platt made it to the front passenger fender of the Cutlass and shot a .357 revolver at Risner and Orrantia. When Platt turned to shoot at Dove and Grogan, Orrantia shot him in the right arm, causing him to drop his revolver. Risner also shot Platt, hitting him in the right arm.
Platt fired one round toward Risner and Orrantia and two rounds at McNeil. Orrantia was wounded in the left shoulder by shrapnel. McNeil was struck in the neck by one round causing him to be paralyzed for several hours.
Hanlon fired at Platt and was shot in the hand while reloading. One of Platt’s rounds had struck Dove’s pistol making it inoperative. Dove and Grogan were kneeling along the driver’s side of their car trying to get Dove’s gun working. They didn’t realize Platt was advancing on their position. Platt came around the rear of their car and killed Grogan with a round to the chest, shot Hanlon in the groin, and then killed Dove with two rounds to the head.
Platt entered Grogan and Dove’s car in an attempt to escape. As he was entering the car, Mireles, able to only use one arm, fired a round from his pump action shotgun, wounding Platt in both feet. Matix had regained consciousness and entered through the passenger door the car with Platt. Mireles fired the remaining four rounds in his shotgun but did not score any hits.
As Platt attempted to start the car, Mireles drew his .357 revolver and fired six rounds, hitting Matix with three rounds and Platt with one, ending the gunfight.
This orgy of death and destruction took approximately five minutes. While that doesn’t sound like a long time, it’s an eternity in gunfight minutes. In that time two agents were killed, five were wounded, and two bad guys took the room temperature challenge prize they so richly deserved. In that five minutes, a total of one hundred four rounds were fired.
Now that you have a grasp of the timeline and events, let’s discuss some of the lessons learned and how they apply to civilian concealed carry permit holders. Bear in mind some of the findings are still hotly disputed decades after the shootout.
The shootout's location played a crucial role in shaping the tactical dynamics. Situated in a residential area, the confrontation took place in close proximity to innocent bystanders, elevating the stakes for the agents. The spatial constraints posed unique challenges, necessitating a balance between minimizing collateral damage and neutralizing the threat. Remember, bad guys and gals aren’t operating under the same constraints that we are. They’re prone to fire indiscriminately without regard to innocent bystanders. While you can’t always pick the location for your gunfight, you can influence the angles to minimize the risk to innocent bystanders.
Weather conditions are an often-overlooked factor that can significantly influence the outcome of tactical operations. In this case the Florida heat and humidity compounded the physical and mental strain on the agents. The oppressive weather conditions added an additional layer of complexity, underscoring the importance of adaptability and endurance in high-pressure situations. Heat and cold can affect your performance in a gunfight in a variety of ways; from something as simple as perspiration making your grips slippery to trying to draw your gun from under multiple layers of clothing. This is why training in all weather conditions is important. It’s the only way to determine what actually works and what you’re really capable of.
Agents engaged in the FBI Miami shootout encountered numerous tactical considerations and challenges. The suspects' formidable firepower and tactics presented an obstacle for the agents. Addressing these challenges required swift decision-making, effective communication, and the application of sound tactical principles. Examining these factors sheds light on the lessons that emerged from this deadly encounter. Under pressure, you default to the level of your training. With a four-to-one advantage, the agents should have been able to dominate the firefight, but they acted as individuals as opposed to a team. At the time, scenario-based training wasn’t employed by the Bureau, so the agents had no frame of reference to draw from.
An advantage that Matix and Platt had over the agents was in tactical training. Both were military policemen in the Army. Platt was Ranger qualified. Military tactics are significantly more aggressive than civilian law enforcement. Couple this with the fact that Matix and Platt had trained together in the military and had the opportunity to further hone their team tactics in the several robberies they committed together. This made them a very dangerous, skilled adversary.
As a concealed carry permit holder, you will most likely engage threats by yourself, so your tactical ability can and will prove the difference between life and death. While basic marksmanship training is important, the tactical application of whatever weapon you carry is equally important. This is why participating in shooting competitions such as IDPA and USPSA matches is important for the permit holder. You need to learn and perfect the skills needed in a gunfight. Training in the use of cover, movement, reloading, and problem-solving (under the pressure of a timer) that you will have to employ in the real world will go a lot farther in making you tactically proficient than just standing still and shooting at a target. Law enforcement agencies began using scenario-based training after the Miami incident. You should as well.
The weapons used by both the agents and Platt and Matix had a tremendous impact on the conduct and outcome of the fight. Matix was armed with a twelve gauge Smith and Wesson 3000 pump shotgun and a Dan Wesson .357 magnum revolver. Platt used a Smith & Wesson 586 .357 magnum revolver and a .223 caliber Ruger Mini 14.
Let’s take a quick break here so I can tell you about where you should get your next ar15.
The agents employed three .357 magnum revolvers, two .38 caliber revolvers, one 12 gauge Remington 870 pump shotgun, and three Smith & Wesson 459 9mm semiautomatics. And while some of the agents carried .357 magnums, all the revolvers used were firing .38 special +P 158 grain lead semi-wadcutter hollow points. The 9mm pistols were firing early generation Winchester 115 grain silvertip rounds.
Matix and Platt enjoyed a tremendous advantage in firepower, with their primary advantage being a centerfire rifle with a thirty-round capacity. The agents were severely undergunned. The first round to strike Platt was a 9mm fired by Dove. The autopsy showed that this was an ultimately fatal wound, but the lack of penetration allowed Platt to continue in the fight for five minutes while being shot an additional eleven times.
One of the revolvers and one of the semiautomatics used by the agents were taken out of commission during the battle. McNeil’s revolver was disabled by blood and bone, making it impossible to reload. Dove’s pistol was hit by one of Platt’s rounds, striking the slide and frame junction, disabling it.
The takeaway for concealed permit holders is to have enough gun, loaded with effective ammunition. I see a lot of permit holders carrying .32 and .25 caliber guns, and other carriers with 9mm, .38, .40, and .45 caliber guns carrying full metal jacket ammo. Do your research and find what is currently the most effective ammunition for your gun and carry that. Interestingly enough, the FBI is one of the best sources of what ammo works the best. At the time of the Miami Shootout, the FBI bought ammunition strictly on price. The dismal performance of the ammunition used in the shootout caused the Bureau to open the ballistic research facility. Since its inception, it conducts tests on ammunition submitted for approval. Some of the metrics measured are penetration, expansion, muzzle and terminal energy. These days the caliber and ammunition carried by the Bureau is what the facility has determined is the best performing.
Situational awareness is critical. Dove and Grogan were killed by Platt while attempting to get Dove’s pistol back in operation. They were so focused on this task, in the middle of a gunfight, that they didn’t see Platt advancing on their position. Situational awareness in a gunfight is of paramount importance. Being taken by surprise by an opponent will always end badly for you. Never develop tunnel vision on anything, and always expect there to be more than one aggressor. Keep your head on a swivel and address each threat in tactical priority.
Gun safety in the middle of a gunfight isn’t something that gets a lot of play in training, but it is ALWAYS important. At one point during the firefight, Mireles realized his Remington 870 shotgun was pointing at another agent’s back as he ran. He raised his barrel skywards to avoid flagging his partner. They say that amateurs practice until they get it right, but professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong. In other words, practice the four rules of firearm safety until you can’t break them.
Understand that, even if it isn’t your first gunfight, you’re going to process things differently. Stress can cause temporal distortion, giving you the sense that things were happening in slow motion, a condition called tachypsychia. You may experience auditory effects, with some sounds muffled some amplified, and some completely unheard. You may also experience visual effects like tunnel vision and target fixation. If you’re forewarned about these common effects, then they are less likely to be distracting or disturbing when experienced during an emergency. This “inoculation effect” makes it important to address these phenomena in training.
You’re in the fight until you’re not. Mireles was gravely wounded during the fight, but never gave up. Shot in the head and having his arm destroyed by rifle fire, he still maintained situational awareness, tracked the location of the felons and kept his weapon oriented toward the likely threat. Despite his severe injuries, he managed to move tactically and end the firefight. Fight as long as you’re able to, because surrender means death.
You’re going to fight how you train. When it was over Mireles was told by fellow agent Ron Risner to secure his handgun. Mireles, seriously wounded, holstered his revolver as directed. It was later discovered that he secured the thumb break on his holster as he had been trained. Mireles did this out of muscle memory. Under stress, we default to the level of our training. Make sure you’re training properly. Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.
That’s going to wrap up this episode. Hopefully you’ve learned something from the discussion of this brutal engagement that will help you become a more effective concealed permit holder. Really assess your training regimen to see where you can improve.
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Until next time, shoot safe.
