MANY YEARS AFTER THESE DEADLY FIVE MINUTES, MATIX AND PLATT’S SURVIVORS STILL REFLECT ON A LIFE-ALTERING DAY
In 2011, 25 years after the FBI Miami shootout, two survivors – Jose Collazo and former Special Agent John Hanlon – spoke about their harrowing experiences. Just like murdered Emilio Briel, Collazo was target shooting at a rock pit when Matix and Platt robbed him at gunpoint. He was asked whether he was a cop, and they shot him four times when he told them he wasn’t. Collazo commented on how professional they seemed, saying, “Platt was pointing the gun at me and his hand didn’t even tremble.”
Hanlon remembered Special Agent Grogan telling them they “wouldn’t go easy” and that Matix and Platt “were about as bad as you can get”. When Hanlon was shot in the arm, he recalled thinking that he was going to bleed out, but the situation got far worse after Platt charged around their vehicle to catch Grogan and Dove by surprise. “He came around and I tried to kick him and then scoot back – he shot me in the groin. I figured he was going to kill me… that’s when Dove fell down. And he brushed against me. His right shoulder blade was the only thing between my head and his head, and I’m looking in his ear, his eyes were closed. He trie
