A 27-year-old man in Florida was arrested for allegedly killing two people inside his grandmother’s home last week after fleeing for several days and attempting to evade authorities by swimming across a canal and climbing a tree.
Isaiah Collins was arrested over the weekend and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Octavis Anthony Myers, 28, and Tiara Belizaire-Young, 24, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Pembroke Pines Police Department, officers and firefighters arrived at a home in the 1700 block of NW 109 Avenue around 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 after someone called 911 and reported a “unconscious and unresponsive man inside of a garage.” When first responders arrived at the scene, they said they found the man — later identified as Myers — and discovered he had been “deceased for some time.”
Police then searched the home and discovered Belizaire-Young dead in a bedroom. Authorities have not revealed how the victims died, stating only that their deaths appeared to be “criminal in nature.”
Police initially stated that they were looking for Collins out of “concern for his wellbeing,” noting that he “frequently lives with his grandmother.” However, three days after Collins’ initial release from police, the department announced that its investigators had discovered evidence that Collins was responsible for murdering both victims.
Collins’ relationship with the victims was not disclosed.
Collins’ whereabouts were unknown until Sunday, when an off-duty deputy from 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.” Collins allegedly tried to flee when authorities arrived.
“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 statement. “Additional deputies responded to the scene and began pleading with the subject to come down. The subject refused to cooperate and moved erratically. At one point, the subject gestured toward his waistband, as if reaching for something, and a deputy fired his service weapon, striking him in the lower, left arm.”
Collins was apprehended and flown by helicopter to HCA Aventura Hospital for treatment in stable condition.
Following the incident, Miami-Dade Sheriff Christopher Carothers attempted to explain the officer-involved shooting to a group 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.
Collins will face additional charges related to the pursuit and capture in Miami-Dade County, in addition to the dual murder charges, according to authorities.
It was not immediately clear when Collins would appear in court.
