There was so much blood on scene it was originally thought Carlos Castillo had been shot. But authorities said tonight that the Miami-Dade Police detective was struck in the head with a cinder block, beaten, and then run over with his own car after a routine traffic stop Friday in Liberty City.
Castillo was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center, where the 37-year-old married father of two remains in critical condition with multiple skull fractures and brain and spine injuries, as well as seven broken ribs and damage to several internal organs.
While some fellow officers gathered outside the hospital, others joined a massive, multi-agency SWAT- and helicopter-assisted manhunt that flushed out Castillo’s assailant and his girlfriend.
Police said that Castillo was in Liberty City on robbery intervention detail when he pulled over a car carrying 33-year-old Michael Paul Robertson, Jr. and 25-year-old Monica Rene Banks.
Robertson, an ex-con who was already wanted by police for firing a gun during an argument with the mother of his child, fled on foot. Castillo placed Banks in handcuffs and called for backup.
Before reinforcements arrived, Robertson returned to the scene and bashed Castillo in the head from behind with a cinder block so forcefully that the block broke on impact. Witnesses say he proceeded to kick Castillo in the head and chest as he lay crumpled on the street.
Robertson then slid behind the wheel of Castillo’s Dodge Charger and ran over the officer as he drove off.
While police shortly combed an area of more than 20 blocks near the scene at NW 71 Street and 3rd Avenue, Robertson sent word to officers that he would give himself up and was taken into custody.
He is charged with attempted first-degree murder, robbery/carjacking, aggravated assault with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Banks, who watched as Robertson beat Castillo, was charged with accessory to attempted murder and attempted first-degree murder.
Also arrested were Robertson’s father, 51-year-old Michael Paul Robertson, Sr., and his mother, name currently unknown. The elder Robertson was charged with battery on a police officer, but a department spokesperson indicated the couples’ arrests were not directly related to the attack on Castillo.
Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus reported Saturday evening that Castillo has already undergone multiple surgeries as doctors work to save his life.
“When something like this happens to a police officer, a child, or any one who lives in the county, it should horrify all of us,” Loftus said. “I don’t know how human nature gets much worse than that. I really don’t.”
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