Federal Fugitive Taken Down in Hialeah

Florida Highway Patrol and Hialeah police arrested 41-year-old Yam Brandy Perera Nuñez on April 23 after a two-day manhunt ended outside a Walgreens at West 68th Street and 12th Avenue. (cbsnews.com) Authorities said troopers first tried to stop Perera Nuñez on April 22 on Okeechobee Road near Pembroke Road, but he refused to stop, abandoned a white pickup truck near Northwest 137th Avenue and fled on foot. (cbsnews.com) (local10.com) The search stretched into the next day and drew in the Florida Highway Patrol, Hialeah Police, Homeland Security and K-9 teams, with road closures disrupting traffic in northwest Miami-Dade. (cbsnews.com) (wsvn.com) Investigators said officers found him Thursday in a stolen gray Corvette in the Walgreens parking lot. When they moved in, he accelerated and tried to strike an officer, according to the arrest report cited by CBS Miami. (cbsnews.com) Video from the arrest showed Perera Nuñez falling face-first onto the street as officers rushed in. Hialeah police said he resisted, was Tased and then taken into custody. (local10.com) (nbcmiami.com) By Saturday, he appeared in court with facial bruises and an arm in a sling. CBS Miami reported he was granted a $33,002 bond after spending several days in the hospital. (cbsnews.com) (wsvn.com) NBC6 reported he was facing a new aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge on top of earlier counts including aggravated fleeing and eluding, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, resisting with violence and grand theft. (nbcmiami.com) CBS Miami said his lawyer challenged probable cause on one count in court, arguing the aggravated battery allegation described damage to an occupied parked vehicle, not a law enforcement vehicle. (cbsnews.com) Police also said Perera Nuñez had warrants from multiple jurisdictions in Florida and was wanted federally for reentering the country after deportation. That is why he remained jailed despite bond: CBS Miami reported an immigration hold kept him in custody. (cbsnews.com) The chase that started on Okeechobee Road ended 24 hours later on a Hialeah street, but the case has now shifted from a public takedown video to court fights over the charges and his immigration status. (cbsnews.com 1) (cbsnews.com 2)