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Criminal Records - Most Wanted |
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Profile |
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Name: Michael Mazza
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Race: White |
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Age Now: 42 |
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Height: 5'9" |
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Weight: 200 lbs. |
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Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair): Black |
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Eyes (Color and Correction): Blue |
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Other Physical Characteristics: Police say Mazza was wearing a charcoal-colored suit with a white shirt and black necktie. |
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Wanted for :
Murder ;
Nov 07, 2007
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Location(s) |
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Last Seen : Pompano Beach, FL
Mazza was last seen at 1401 North Powerline Road in Pompano Beach at 8:11 a.m. |
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Possible Location : Hollywood, FL |
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Last Known : Unkown |
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Traits |
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Case Story |
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Prisoner Shoots And Kills Deputy During Transport, Briefly Escapes |
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Investigators from several agencies were looking for an escaped prisoner in Broward County for several hours the morning of November 7, 2007. Police say around 8:00 a.m., 40-year-old Michael Mazza somehow got hold of the gun of 76-year-old Deputy Paul Rein, who was taking him to court in Pompano Beach. Detectives say Mazza shot Deputy Rein, then drove off in the medical transport van.
Witnesses reported seeing Rein thrown from the van at 1401 North Powerline Road. Rein was taken to the hospital in critical condition and died three hours later. The van was found miles away in Davie, Fla., abandoned. Police say Mazza then hailed a cab that dropped him off in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
Hundreds of schools in Broward County were placed on lockdown as police hunted for Mazza. |
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Complaints Made Up? |
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Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti said Mazza was serving two life sentences for armed robbery and was being transported to court for the second day of trial on a third armed robbery case. He was in the medical transport van because he had complained of back problems, and was in the back of the van in handcuffs. Sheriff Lamberti said there is a gate between the back of the van and the driver.
The sheriff also said police had strong suspicions the escape was pre-planned, or that Mazza had help escaping. One reason for that belief is because Mazza was in the back, in handcuffs, and a witness reported seeing Rein pushed out of the van. This leads to the possibility that the van was ambushed.
Broward County Sheriff's Department Public Information Officer Elliot Cohen said it is also possible Mazza lied about his back troubles and was not as seriously hurt as he claimed. |
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A 20-Year Veteran, From A Law Enforcement Family |
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Deputy Rein was a 20-year veteran of Broward County, spending his entire career in the transport division for the Department of Detention. Sheriff Lamberti says this was a routine pick-up, like hundreds of transports the department makes every day.
Deputy Rein is from a law enforcement family. His son retired just weeks ago as a police officer with Davie Police. And Deputy Rein's stepson is a police officer with Coconut Creek Police.
This is Broward County's fourth officer shooting this year. The county also lost a firefighter earlier this year. |
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