Car-jacking suspect appears in court

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A man accused of a car-jacking that sent a police officer to the hospital has appeared before a judge.

According to police, Jayson Gomez stole a two-door black Bentley convertible from two women, who were at the valet before going into the China Grill, near Fourth Street and Washington Avenue, on South Beach, at around 8:45 p.m., Tuesday.

The female victims told police they were sitting inside the luxury vehicle and waiting to leave the car with the valet, when Gomez came up to one of the car's windows and threatened them. According to arrest affidavit, Gomez approached the driver and said, "Give me the car, no one dies."

Initially, the victims did not get out of the Bentley, and police said Gomez pointed toward his Toyota Camry and told the driver, "Give me the car. I got an AK-47 in the trunk."

The victims eventually got out of the vehicle, and the women said, they and the valet looked on as Gomez drove off on Washington Avenue in their vehicle.

Police initially spotted the stolen Bentley on the Julia Tuttle Causeway, but officers lost track of Gomez as he wove in and out of traffic.

Then, near Biscayne Boulevard and 78th Street, police said a motorcycle officer was chasing Gomez in an attempt to keep up with him when that officer swerved and crashed into a median. Miami Fire Rescue transported the officer to Mount Sinai Medical Center with minor injuries. He is doing OK.

A short time later, Gomez crashed the Bentley along Northwest 12th Avenue and 75th Street. Gomez reportedly ran away from the vehicle after the crash, then officers subdued the man with a Taser and took him into custody.

At Gomez' bond court appearance on Wednesday, an attorney said, "Given the fact that there was a high-speed chase involved, which ultimately ended in a car crash, and the defendant telling the victims that he had an AK-47 in the trunk, I do believe that this is an individual who is very dangerous."

Gomez responded, "There was no AK-47."

The defendant's mother, Adela Vargas, spoke in court on behalf of her son. "He's schizophrenic, he's a maniac, and he was Baker-Acted last year, and he's really sick. He qualifies for emergency Medicaid, and I'm willing to pay anything, but he needs to see a doctor."

The judge slapped Gomez with almost $20,000 in bond fees. If Gomez makes bond, the judge ordered for him to have a GPS-monitoring device, as she believes Gomez is a threat to society.

The officer injured in the crash has been released from the hospital.

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