Police say a routine repossession turned into gunfire in Miami Gardens on Monday, ending with a 39-year-old man in handcuffs at a nearby gas station after multiple shots were fired at a fleeing tow truck.
According to an arrest report reviewed by WPLG Local 10, a repossession agent was attempting to lawfully tow a black Ford F-150 from a home on the 16000 block of Northwest 21st Court around 6:10 p.m. when things escalated. Police say the truck belonged to Lawrence Hilbert Morant, who allegedly ran outside, chased the tow truck on foot, pulled a handgun and fired several rounds at the occupied vehicle as the driver tried to get away.
The driver headed straight to an Exxon gas station at Northwest 167th Street and 17th Avenue and called 911, according to the report. Investigators say surveillance video captured the shooting, and officers later recovered spent shell casings and a handgun at the scene. Police took Morant into custody at the gas station. Jail records show he faces counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, shooting or throwing a deadly missile and criminal mischief while armed, and that he was being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as to be set.
Repossession showdowns like this are not unheard of, and officers often lean heavily on video and physical evidence when sorting out who did what. Earlier this year, Miramar repo meltdown coverage detailed a case where a Lexus owner fired at a tow truck during two separate confrontations over a vehicle, and FOX 7 Austin reported a February incident in Texas where a man opened fire on a repo truck.
Legal implications
Morant is charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, an offense defined as an assault with a deadly weapon and classified as a third-degree felony under Florida Statutes §784.021, and with shooting or throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle, a second-degree felony under Florida Statutes §790.19. If proven at trial, convictions on those charges can carry multi-year prison terms and significant fines.
Investigators say Morant waived his Miranda rights and gave an interview that was partly redacted in the public report, and that surveillance cameras captured much of the encounter, according to WPLG Local 10. Police booked him into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, and officials said his bond was listed as "to be set" while detectives continue their investigation.
