It started as a daring bank robbery in broad daylight—but ended in one of the deadliest gunfights in FBI history.
In 1986, very violent criminals appeared in Miami, USA. They targeted armored trucks and banks, and had no problem using excessive violence in their operations. They literally opened fire for no reason, just for pleasure. They continued to execute one operation after another without any reservation, sometimes even carrying out two operations in the same day. However, they were professionals in every sense of the word and left no trace behind, which even puzzled FBI investigators. When their true identities were revealed, people were shocked by things they never expected.
First Appearance of the Gang
The events of our story took place in Miami, Florida, USA, in 1985, when crime rates in the city rose significantly. In that year, two men, or rather two robbers, emerged. These robbers used a very violent method in their operations and never hesitated to shoot anyone who stood in their way. Their first appearance was on October 8, 1985, when an armored truck was parked next to a restaurant. The driver and guard were armed, and the trucks' mission was to collect cash from various businesses. The two robbers were lying in wait, hidden among the cars parked nearby. They were heavily armed, one carrying a shotgun and the other a Mini-14 assault rifle, which are military-grade weapons. They were also wearing military attire, black masks, and black gloves.
Confrontation with Security Guards
When the guard who had gone down to collect money came out of the restaurant, the two robbers ambushed him and attacked him, ordering him to open the truck's door. The guard kept telling them he couldn't, and that the driver was the only one with the keys. The robbers then took him to the driver to order him to open the doors. However, armored car companies have clear protocols and instructions for such situations, where the driver is prohibited from opening the doors regardless of threats. The driver refused to open, while the guard, realizing the driver would not open the doors, waited for an opportunity to escape. When the robbers were distracted by the driver, the guard fled as fast as he could. The driver moved the truck and drove away, and the two robbers continued to fire at the armored truck, but it was unaffected. Their readiness for violence was clear, as they tried to kill the driver by shooting directly through the window. Afterwards, the two robbers retreated to a white car and drove away from the scene.
Initial Investigations
After the report, the police and the FBI quickly arrived, as any attack on armored trucks falls under their jurisdiction. Investigators began examining the scene and questioning witnesses, trying to obtain any evidence that might lead them to the robbers. But unfortunately, there was no lead to follow. The robbers left no trace, and witnesses only saw two men wearing masks and military clothing. The only thing investigators got from witnesses was the license plate number of the car they escaped in, which turned out to have been stolen a month earlier. This led to a dead end.
Military Tactics
When questioning the truck guard, he told investigators that the robbers' movements indicated they were using military tactics. Even when firing at the truck, one of them was shooting while the other covered his back, which is a military tactic, not a gang tactic. The only money they managed to steal was the money the guard had when he came out of the restaurant, which amounted to $2,800, a small sum. This operation was considered a failure, and investigators were certain that robbers of this caliber would attempt another theft.
New Robbery Attempt
Just eight days later, on October 16, 1985, and near the location of the first robbery attempt, another armored truck was parked at a supermarket. The driver was waiting in the truck while the other guard had gone down to collect money. When the guard returned carrying bags of money, the driver opened the truck's rear door to put the bags inside. This was the moment the two robbers, who had been observing from a distance, were waiting for. They didn't want to repeat the mistake of the last time by attacking while the doors were closed.
Escalation of Violence and Retreat
When the two robbers saw the guards open the truck doors, they moved their car at full speed towards the truck. The guards didn't notice them because they were busy loading the bags. This time, it seemed the robbers came with ill intent. One of them pulled out his weapon from the sunroof, and as soon as they got close to the guards, he opened fire. The guard who was carrying the bags and putting them into the truck fell to the ground, even though he was wearing protective body armor. The second guard, the driver, immediately pulled out his weapon and began firing at the robbers. The robbers returned fire, their goal being to kill or injure him to get rid of him. But the guard put up fierce resistance. When they felt they were taking too long in the shootout, they decided to retreat and escape, as they knew the police would respond quickly.
Operation Results and Investigations
The police and FBI quickly arrived at the scene, and an ambulance also came to take the injured guard. Unfortunately, this guard later died at the hospital due to his injuries, even though he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Investigators questioned the other guard (the driver), who confirmed that these were the same two robbers who had attempted to rob the first truck eight days earlier. After examining the shell casings left behind by the robbers, the FBI confirmed that the weapons matched, confirming they were the same two robbers. FBI investigators were more concerned this time because it was clear that the robbers were easily willing to resort to violence, and this was their second failed attempt. This time, they hadn't stolen a single cent. Investigators were certain they would try a third time.
Direct Bank Attacks
Two weeks later, on November 8, 1985, the two robbers reappeared, but this time they changed their target. Instead of an armored truck, they decided to attack a bank and chose the Florida National Bank. This branch consisted of a main building and a smaller adjacent building for drive-through service. There was an accountant and a guard carrying bags of money, coming out of the main building heading to the drive-through building to deposit the money. The two robbers waited for this moment, ambushed them, and took the money from the guard. Under threat of a weapon, they ordered the accountant to open the drive-through bank door. The accountant was very stressed and tried to comply with their orders, but apparently there was a problem with the keys, or perhaps due to her stress, she couldn't find the door key at that moment. What was worse was that the robbers were yelling at her, which increased her stress, and she dropped the keys from her hands. The robbers' agitation increased with every passing second, especially since they were standing in broad daylight.
Retreat and Search for Evidence
Despite their inclination for violence, it was clear that they preferred safety. When they saw the accountant taking too long to open the door, they decided to retreat with only the money they had taken from the guard. They quickly left the scene. The loot this time was $10,000, better than before, but it certainly didn't meet their expectations. As usual, the police and FBI investigators arrived immediately afterwards. After questioning the accountant and the guard, they connected this operation to the previous two. And strangely, this location was only one street away from the first and second robberies. Investigators began to notice this pattern: all operations were happening in the same area.
New Developments
Investigators knew the robbers would continue their operations, but what they never expected was that just an hour and a half after the drive-through bank operation, the two robbers would break into another bank called Savings Bank, just four kilometers away. They entered the bank and ordered everyone inside to lie on the floor. The robber carrying the shotgun stayed with the customers, while the other robber, carrying the Mini-14 rifle, went to the teller and ordered her to give him all the money. After taking the money from her, both of them quickly left the bank. This time, the loot was bigger: $41,000. It seems the two robbers had followed an armored truck and observed it unloading money at the bank, then broke into the bank. When they finished their operation and escaped this time, they used a gray Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a different car from their previous white one, and it was also certainly stolen.
Investigators' Helplessness
Investigators arrived at the bank and began questioning witnesses, but there was nothing new: the same usual descriptions, two masked men carrying heavy weapons. Investigators hoped to get footage from the security cameras inside the bank, but unfortunately, the cameras were not working. Investigators began to feel a sense of helplessness; literally, there was no lead that could lead them to these two men. Four operations and they had found nothing. All they had were mere assumptions. The main assumption was that the two men might be former police officers or even army officers, because all witnesses agreed that their movements, way of speaking, and manner of carrying weapons indicated professional military tactics.
Disappearance and Return of the Robbers
After this last bank robbery, the case somewhat cooled down. Two months passed without any new operations; the robbers had disappeared. But they reappeared again on Friday, January 10, 1986. On that day, an armored truck was parked in front of Barnett Bank, and guards were unloading money from the truck and taking it into the bank. At that moment, a man named William Roberts was sitting in his car. This man was a bank customer and had come to deposit an amount into his account. He immediately noticed when a car came and stopped behind the armored truck, because he observed that the two men in the car were wearing masks, which piqued his curiosity. He saw them get out of the car, raise their weapons, and shoot the guard in the back. Then, to make sure they had finished him off, one of them shot him twice more after he fell to the ground, killing him.
Key Witness
They quickly loaded the money from the truck into their car and fled the scene. The loot this time was larger, valued at $54,000. But the witness who was watching them, William Roberts, immediately moved his car behind them and began to follow them. This man had an amazingly calm demeanor; even after seeing them kill the guard in front of him, he was completely unfazed. On the contrary, he went after them. Of course, he was cautious and maintained a safe distance from them, memorizing the car type and license plate number. He followed them until they reached a certain parking lot where they stopped their car next to a white pickup truck. He stopped at a distance from them on the opposite street and continued to observe them from afar. The two robbers got out of their car, and their masks were off. Their faces were not clear to William due to the distance, but at least he could tell their skin was white. The two robbers took their weapons and their loot from their car and transferred them to the white pickup truck. Unfortunately, also due to the distance, William could not see the license plate number of the white pickup.
Connecting the Crimes
In the meantime, the police and FBI arrived at the bank, the crime scene. Investigators began examining the scene and questioning witnesses and employees. The bullet casings found at the crime scene confirmed that these were the same weapons used in previous robberies, meaning they were the same two robbers. But fortunately for them this time, they had an important witness, William Roberts. William told them what happened and led them to the location of the car the robbers had left behind. He also told them about the white pickup truck the robbers had gotten into.
Investigative Surprise
Two investigators prepared themselves, took their weapons, and headed to the house of a person named Aureliano Bell, the owner of the car the robbers had left behind. They found the ordinary house and rang the doorbell, and a woman opened the door for them. The investigators introduced themselves as FBI agents. Afterwards, the woman's husband came out of the house, welcomed them, and asked if they were there regarding their son, Emilio. The investigators, of course, did not know who their son was, so their answer was that they were there regarding a car registered in his name, Aureliano. The husband confirmed, "Yes, I am Aureliano," and then invited them to enter the house.
Shocking Testimony
After entering, Aureliano began to explain to the investigators that their son had disappeared three months earlier with the family car. He told them that his son Emilio, 25 years old, had gone to practice shooting in an area called the Everglades (an open wilderness area), and had taken the family car, which was registered in his name. Since that day, they had not seen him again, and they had filed a missing person report with the police. The investigators then understood why the car had not been reported stolen. The parents were frustrated, as they had initially believed that the investigators had new information about their son, but it turned out that all they had found was just the car. The conclusion reached by the investigators after meeting with these parents was that this family had no connection to the robbers and that they and their son were merely victims.
New Evidence
Investigators and forensic experts thoroughly examined the car, but found no evidence or trace that could lead to the robbers, no fingerprints or anything else. After this robbery, in which they killed the truck guard, the case cooled down again, and the robbers did not carry out any new operations. During the following two months, FBI investigators continued their efforts on the case, but with no significant progress. In March 1986, an FBI investigator read a newspaper article that caught his attention. The article was about an attempted murder against a man named Jose Collazo. According to the article, two men attacked him and shot him multiple times, then stole his weapon and his car, which was a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1982 model.
Crucial Information
When the FBI investigator saw this news in the newspaper, he immediately went to his colleagues and told them, "Look at this news, I'm sure it's related to the criminals we're pursuing." He also told them that this stolen black car would appear in future robberies. His colleagues did not object to his hypothesis, but they were not as convinced as he was; he was 100% confident, while they considered it just a hunch. The newspaper article stated that Jose had been shot four times, but miraculously survived and managed to reach a grocery store to call the police and ambulance, and he was currently hospitalized. Even though this was all just a hunch, the investigators decided to take this hypothesis seriously, because the investigator who had this hunch was an experienced veteran.
Jose Collazo's Testimony
They went to the hospital to meet Jose and ask him what happened. His injuries were severe; he had been shot four times in critical areas of his body, but he agreed to cooperate and began to tell them what happened to him. He said that he had gone to an open wilderness area called the Everglades, and was practicing shooting. This reminds us of the son of those two parents who said their son Emilio went to the same wilderness area, the Everglades, to practice shooting and never came back. This area in Florida was known for this; it's an open wilderness area where people go to practice shooting and hunting. Jose told the investigators that he was practicing shooting in the same area when suddenly a white pickup truck stopped behind him. Two men got out of this car. Jose was surprised; he didn't know them, and they were in an unpopulated area to approach him like that. Before he could react, the two men raised their weapons at him and demanded his weapon, wallet, and car keys. Even their attitude towards him was nasty; they cursed and insulted him with the dirtiest curses, even though he didn't try to resist. He handed over his weapon, wallet, and car keys, and despite everything, one of them shot him. Even after he fell to the ground, he approached him and fired three additional shots. Jose should have died with all these injuries, especially since the criminal targeted critical, fatal areas, but by the grace of God, he miraculously survived.
The Miraculous Escape
Jose pretended to be dead to deceive the criminal. As for the second criminal, he took Jose's black car key, got in, and started it. The first criminal, after being certain that Jose was dead, got into the white pickup truck, and both of them drove off together, leaving the scene. After the criminals left, Jose was still lying on the ground. His wounds were deep and dangerous. The mere fact that he was alive was a miracle. But now, if he wanted to survive, he had to somehow get back on his feet and get out of that place; he had to find people to call for help. And by another miracle, he managed to stand up and walked approximately a kilometer and a half until he reached a small grocery store. And there, they were able to call an ambulance for him.
Identifying the Robbers
After Jose told the investigators this story, they were sure that these two men who attacked him were the robbers they were looking for. The white pickup truck, and the weapons Jose described to them, and their manner of speaking and violence were all signs pointing to them. Jose was the best witness the FBI had found so far, the only witness who had faced these criminals and survived. The investigators took descriptions of the two men from him and brought a sketch artist to draw sketches of them. Afterwards, they published a wanted poster for them, including their descriptions and crimes with the sketches, plus a warning that these two men were very dangerous and heavily armed.
Continued Operations
The efforts of the FBI and police continued, and they were, of course, focused on searching for Jose's car, the black car the robbers had stolen. But before they could make any progress in the case, the robbers struck again on March 19, 1986. They broke into a new bank in the same area. And as usual, they entered with their heavy weapons and ordered people and customers to lie on the floor. One of them, the shotgun owner, stood by the customers, while the other, the Mini-14 owner, ordered the teller to give him the money. In the end, they escaped with their loot, which was worth about $40,000.
Analyzing the Pattern
After the two robbers left the bank, people got up and called the police. This was the sixth robbery the two robbers had carried out. And as usual, after investigators arrived at the bank and questioned witnesses, they found no significant new information. The only new thing they obtained was footage from the security cameras, which fortunately were working this time, but even this footage was useless; there was nothing in it that could help them identify the two robbers. Through their analysis of these operations, FBI investigators were almost certain that the two robbers observed banks before robbing them, because the robbery would occur within just 10 minutes after a new cash shipment was delivered to the bank by armored trucks. It's even highly probable that the two robbers would follow the armored trucks, and when they saw a truck drop off money at a certain bank, they would go and rob that bank. This suggests they might not have predetermined which bank to rob, but rather followed the money truck wherever it went.
The Containment Plan
Investigators also discussed the pattern followed by the two robbers. Usually, they would carry out their operations on a Friday between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM. And all operations were in the same area, within a radius of no more than 10 kilometers. So, the FBI decided to try to intensify their patrols in this area as much as possible, and their focus and search would be on the white pickup truck and the black car stolen from Jose.
The Decisive Moment
Days and weeks passed, and we reached April 11, 1986, which happened to be a Friday. The FBI was intensifying their patrols especially on Fridays, because the pattern indicated that these robbers usually carried out their operations on Fridays, especially in the morning. On that day, at 8:30 AM, 14 FBI investigators met in a parking lot. The mission of these investigators was to completely comb the area with their patrols for the next four hours, covering an area with a diameter of up to 12 kilometers. They took out the map and marked the routes and streets that each patrol would cover. Seven FBI patrols (two investigators in each car) set off in every direction within the boundaries of this area, and they were, at the same time, trying to stay close to the bank locations, as these are the robbers' targets.
Discovering the Robbers' Car
Two of the investigators, Ben Grogan and Jerry Dove, who were in one of the cars, were heading towards Barnett Bank, which they believed might be a target for the robbers. As they were on their way to the bank, a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo appeared in front of them on the road. Its specifications perfectly matched those of Jose's stolen car. When they got closer and saw the car's license plate, the plate number was NTG 891, which was Jose's car plate, meaning the robbers were definitely inside. They didn't even bother to change the car's license plate; they left it as is because they didn't expect Jose to survive, and they didn't expect the FBI to go to him and that investigators would connect Jose's car to the robberies they were committing.
Pursuit and Confirmation of Suspicions
The investigators in the patrol car couldn't believe their eyes, and one of them quickly grabbed the radio and informed the other patrols of the news: "We are currently following Jose's car, the robbers are in it, we are literally driving behind them." As soon as the news reached the other patrols, they quickly moved towards the location their colleagues had given them. At that time, there was no GPS or Google Maps, so they were using street names. Finally, one of the additional patrols arrived at their location, and they started driving behind the first car that was following the robbers' car. But this situation certainly raised suspicions for the two robbers. They began looking behind them and seeing two cars following them. To confirm their suspicions, they turned right towards a quiet residential neighborhood, and the two cars continued to follow them. They decided to turn right again, and the cars remained behind them. Keep in mind that when a person turns right and then right again, it's like they're driving in a circle. When the two cars remained behind them, they were finally certain that they were indeed being pursued.
Failed Escape Attempt
The FBI agents in the two cars were just stalling for time to wait for the rest of their colleagues to arrive, because the more cars there were, the easier it would be for them to surround the criminals and take control of them. The two robbers, even though they knew they were being pursued, did not try to speed up, but they took a left turn, and this street led to the highway. This would be a major problem for the investigators if the robbers managed to reach the highway, as it could endanger many lives. Fortunately, moments later, a third FBI patrol joined the pursuit. So now there were three cars following the robbers' car.
Armed Confrontation
At this moment, the investigators in the first car, which was directly behind the robbers' car, saw the man in the passenger seat raising a weapon, or rather, a rifle. It was clear that these criminals had no intention of surrendering peacefully; they were ready to fight. Here, the investigators knew they had to stop them immediately. Agent Ben Grogan turned on the emergency lights and ordered them to stop over the loudspeaker. But the robbers ignored him. The two agents drove their car alongside the robbers' car and ordered them again to stop, but it was clear the robbers had no intention of complying. At this point, the first patrol car, which was next to them, moved in front of them to block their path, while the second patrol car surrounded them from the side, and the third patrol car remained behind them. This meant the robbers' car was in the middle, surrounded from all directions.
Fierce Battle
FBI agents continued to yell at the criminals, ordering them to stop the car, but the criminals gave them a cold stare with no reaction and continued on their way as if nothing was happening. At this point, the investigators had no choice but to try to stop them by force. They began trying to force them off course, but the criminal sitting in the passenger seat pulled out his rifle and began trying to aim it at the car next to them. When the agent in the trailing car saw this, he immediately moved and rammed the criminals' car from behind. He certainly wasn't going to let them shoot his colleagues. And then the criminals tried to make a U-turn, but the agent behind them kept ramming them until he forced their car into a parking lot on the side of the street. The criminals' car crashed into several parked cars in the lot and came to a stop.
Criminals' Superiority
At this point, the criminal who was sitting in the passenger seat grabbed his Mini-14 rifle and opened fire on the agent who had rammed them. The agent quickly got out of his car and took cover from the bullets. Immediately afterwards, the rest of the FBI agents who were in the pursuit followed suit, all pulling out their weapons and beginning to fire at the criminals. However, the criminals had the advantage in terms of weapon caliber. The FBI agents had ordinary pistols, while this criminal had a Mini-14 rifle, and even his accomplice, the second criminal who was the driver, had a shotgun. These were heavy military-grade weapons compared to the FBI agents' weapons. But the FBI agents were, of course, more numerous. The criminals were surrounded, but at the same time, they refused to surrender.
Casualties
The driver, the shotgun owner, managed to hit Agent Ben Grogan with one of his shots, but he did not hit him fatally. After that, another agent named McNeil managed to hit the driver in the neck with a serious injury. But his partner, the Mini-14 rifle owner, intensified his firing at the agents. The problem was that his rifle had 30 rounds in each magazine, while the FBI agents' pistols had only five or six rounds per magazine, and then they had to reload. So, the criminal had a much higher rate of fire and began hitting the agents one after another. One of them was hit in the hand, and then another agent named Edmondo Mireles was hit in the arm with a severe injury. The battle was very intense.
Final Confrontation
During the fight, the criminal with the Mini-14 tried to get out of their car through the window, but one of the agents managed to hit him in the chest. For a moment, the agents thought they had killed him and gotten rid of him. But the surprise was that the criminal got up again and ambushed one of the agents, named McNeil, and inflicted a serious injury to his neck. Most of the agents were wounded. An additional patrol car arrived at the scene, and two new agents got out and joined the fight. But despite everything, the criminal continued to fight all of them. His movements were indeed those of a professional. It would have been impossible for him to stand his ground alone against all these agents if he were just an ordinary person, even if he had superior weaponry. He wasn't even standing still just defending himself; he was maneuvering between the cars and advancing, putting pressure on the agents, using an offensive tactic, as if he had nothing to lose. It was as if he was saying, "If I die today, I'll take as many of you with me as possible." It was insane.
Bloody End
Due to the limited magazine capacity of the agents' pistols, their ammunition quickly ran out. Three of them were forced to retreat behind one of the cars to reload their pistols. These agents are Ben Grogan, Jerry Dove, and John Hanlin. They were trying to reload their pistols as fast as they could, but the criminal noticed this and quickly managed to maneuver around the other agents who were firing at him from a distance. He advanced until he reached these three and opened fire on them. He hit the first in the hand, then shot him again, hitting him in the upper thigh. After that, he quickly turned to the remaining two and shot the first, then the second in fatal locations, killing them on the spot. All the agents who were around the criminal were either wounded or killed. Only two agents remained, firing at him from a distance.
Agent Morales' Heroism
After that, the criminal headed towards one of the FBI cars and tried to start it. He was trying to escape. The car had certainly taken several bullets during this fight, so it wouldn't start. One of the agents who was wounded in the fight was Edmondo Mireles, but he was still able to move and had a shotgun in his hand. When he saw the criminal heading towards the car, he began trying to shoot him. In the meantime, the second criminal, the driver, who was wounded in the neck, miraculously managed to move from his spot despite his severe and dangerous injury. And he got out of the car window, trying to catch up with his partner and escape with him. Agent Edmondo Mireles intensified his firing at the car; it was impossible for him to let them escape after all this. And after firing his last shotgun round, he gathered all his strength, pulled out his pistol, and stood up. He himself said that at that moment, he was not conscious; his injury should not have allowed him to move from his spot at all, but adrenaline does wonders for the human body, giving it the strength to move even on the verge of death. So Mireles approached the car with his pistol raised and opened fire on the criminals from point-blank range, continuing to shoot them until he killed them on the spot. This was the end of the violent battle.
Aftermath of the Battle
Emergency services and ambulances quickly arrived, and they began treating the injured agents. The scene was very violent, with five agents sustaining severe injuries, and two agents killed, in addition to the two criminals who were also killed. This battle is considered the deadliest in the history of the FBI, and even after it, FBI agents' weapons would be changed to more powerful ones. One can search on the internet for "FBI Miami shootout 1986" to see real footage and photos of the scene after the battle, but they are graphic. The two agents who died were Jerry Dove, 30 years old, and Ben Grogan, 53 years old, who had only one year left until retirement. These were the two agents who first spotted the criminals' car.
Heroes and Legacy
As for Agent Edmondo Mireles, who killed the criminals at the end of the battle, he was awarded the Federal Medal of Valor, becoming the first FBI agent to receive this medal. He would later write a book describing the details of this operation and battle. FBI investigators documented all the details of the battle and what happened in it. There is also a diagram illustrating the positions of the agents and their cars and all the details that occurred during the battle, and it was obtained through the testimony of the agents who survived. And imagine that the criminals fired 143 bullets during the battle, and this was calculated from the empty shell casings found on the ground.
Unveiling the Criminals' Identities
The question now is: who were these two men? Investigators took the fingerprints from their bodies, and through them, their identities were revealed. The first criminal's name was Michael Platt, 32 years old. He was the owner of the Mini-14 rifle and was responsible for most of the injuries in the battle. The second criminal's name was William Matix, 34 years old, and he was the owner of the shotgun.
Double Life
The important question here is: who were these two men and why did they do all this? The answer was a surprise to investigators. These two men were not gang members or violent individuals in their ordinary lives. On the contrary, they were family men, with wives and children, and they were partners in some business ventures. They even had a small business specializing in landscaping. Their lives were quiet; they had acquaintances and friends they played golf with, and they were polite to those around them. They had no criminal records. It was as if they were living a double life, one face with their families and friends, and the other, criminal face, only revealed to each other.
Military Training and Offensive Tactics
The FBI also obtained another important piece of information after researching their history: both men had served in the army, and their meeting and acquaintance came through the army. Michael Platt, in particular, was an officer in the Special Forces in the Army and was an expert marksman. And the difference between military training in the Special Forces in the Army and the training that FBI agents receive is vast. The FBI agents' mission is investigation, analysis, and other such matters, and most of their training is defensive, not offensive. Their goal is not usually to kill the opponent, but rather to surround them and force them to surrender. This was evident in the battle; most of the agents were trying to stay covered behind cars, while on the other side, Michael Platt was advancing and pressing them with his superior weapon, using an offensive military tactic. This is what enabled him to overcome them despite the numerical difference.
Dark Secrets
After further investigation, detectives found a cabin owned by the criminals, and inside this cabin they found their ammunition and some of the weapons they owned, including Jose's rifle that they had stolen from him in the wilderness. But the wonders don't end there. After investigating the past of these two men further, detectives discovered that they were both married, and each of them had a previous wife other than their current wives. And strangely, their previous wives had died under mysterious circumstances. William Matix's wife, whose name was Patricia Matix, died in 1983. Patricia worked as a lab technician in a hospital in Ohio. On an evening in December 1983, she was working in the lab with one of her colleagues when a masked man suddenly broke into the lab, ambushed them, and attacked them. Later, their bodies were found in the lab; their hands were tied and their throats were slit. William Matix was a suspect in this crime, but no conclusive evidence was found to incriminate him. And in the end, he was even able to receive an insurance payout on his wife's life worth $350,000. This was most likely his motive for killing her, but of course, there is no conclusive evidence.
Theories and Mysterious Circumstances
As for Michael Platt's partner, he was also married, and his wife's name was Regina Platt. But in December 1984, she was also found dead from a shotgun blast to the mouth, but the weapon was in her hand. The police concluded that this was a suicide, even though everyone around her said that she was not depressed or had any motives that would make her do such a thing. Suspicions turned to her husband, Michael Platt, because there were major problems between them, but of course, there was no evidence to incriminate him. And you know that there is circumstantial evidence that led to a theory suggesting that these two men even had an agreement that each of them would get rid of the other's wife. There is no conclusive evidence to confirm this, just circumstantial evidence, but after we learned about their personalities, I believe that this is not at all unlikely.