2nd Undercover Cop Injured In Ambush Released From Hospital
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An undercover detective, shot during and ambush this week, is now out of the hospital.
Det. Terence White, 37, was shot in the foot during Monday's ambush and was released Thursday. His partner, Det. Charles Woods, 47, who was also shot during the ambush was released earlier this week.
On the same day as White's release from the hospital, the man accused of firing at them appeared before judge and found out he would remain in jail.
A battered and bruised Damian Thomas made his appearance before bond court Judge Mindy Glazer.
"You have two cases. In one case you are charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder. It should be 'of a law enforcement officer'. The other case, two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of resisting an officer with violence. Those are the charges and I'm appointing the public defenders office for you," said Judge Glazer.
The state then informed the judge that at the time of his arrest Thompson, 19, was out on bond from a previous firearms case. The judge said she was aware of it.
Thompson's state-appointed attorney tried to get the battery charges reduced to one charge since according to his arrest form he only hit one of the officers who took him into custody.
It was then that the state reminded the judge that he put officers lives in danger for a second time when they went to arrest him.
"He had just fired at two Miami-Dade police officers when the two brave Miami-Dade police officers then risked their lives in order to take this dangerous individual into custody and he continued to threaten police officers during the course of his apprehension," said the prosecutor.
In reviewing the arrest form, the judge ruled the two counts of battery would stand.
"He made threats that he was going to kill these officers while they were trying to arrest him, so there's probable cause for two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer," said Judge Glazer.
She then set bond at $5,000 for each of the battery and a resisting arrest charge. She noted that there should be only one resisting arrest count and that he was overcharged. She then ordered that he be held without bond on the attempted murder charges.
The defense also wanted a video close up of Thompson's face to show the bruising on his face which came from being struck by police officers as they took him into custody.
Monday night detectives Woods and White were sitting in a minivan conducting surveillance for gang activity at an apartment complex in Northwest Miami-Dade when a group of young men approached.
The officers called for backup but before they could get out of their vehicle one of the young men, later identified as Thompson, pulled out what appeared to be an AK-47 assault rifle and riddled their van with bullets. Both officers were hit, but Woods was able to return fire.
More than 20 rounds were fired at the unmarked car.
An arriving officer rushed the two detectives to the Jackson Ryder Trauma Center in the back of a pickup truck.
White, a 26-year veteran of the force, was shot in the foot and Woods, an 11-year veteran, was shot in the arm.
Antonette Frazier said her cousin did nothing wrong.
She said he wasn't even there Monday night when the two officers were ambushed.
She insisted the aspiring rapper was recording music.
"You said he had an alibi. He wasn't there? How do you know that?" CBS4's Vanessa Borge asked.
"He goes and makes his music," Frazier said
"Where is this studio?" Borge followed up.
"To be honest, I don't know," Frazier said
"I would imagine the studio is in the vicinity of the shooting," Borge continued.
"He was home. They didn't get him from the scene," Frazier said
Thompson wasn't home, officers arrested him at the Hyatt place Miami airport east hotel after several crime stopper tips.
When officers went to arrest Thompson, the arrest report says Thompson resisted, punching an officer and threatening them saying, "I'm going to kill both of y'all," and "y'all going to have to kill me today" and "I hate the (expletive) police."
The report says officers were forced to punch Thompson repeatedly to subdue him.
But Frazier claims evidence of him being in the studio the night of the shooting are on Thompson's cellphone.
"They can't, his cellphone. His cell has gone missing all of a sudden," Frazier said.
However, Woods was able to identify Thompson as the shooter, officials said.
Police said they received tips about Thompson's location in the hours after the shooting and found him at a hotel near Miami International Airport with several other people. Also arrested are Jamal Daniels, Jessica Pierre, and Mikequesha Simmons on charges unrelated to the shooting.
Thompson, a reputed gang member, has a criminal history, including an arrest earlier this year for carrying a concealed firearm. According to his arrest report, it was White who arrested Thompson in that case.