In August 2014, Bryan Perez was shot six times in an attempted armed home invasion/robbery at the Carmel Lakes townhome community in Miami, Florida. According to local law enforcement, Perez and a friend were on the back patio of his rental unit when three teens approached and forced the two of them inside the home at gunpoint. Once inside, Perez attempted to close a sliding glass door to protect his family, but the gunmen opened fire striking his torso and extremities and severing his spine.

Perez’s negligent security lawsuit against the Carmel Lakes Property Owners Association, Carmel Lakes Condominium No. 9 Association, Phoenix Management Services and WLV Assets was ultimately settled for $10.1 million in 2016.

There were several known security incidents at Carmel Lakes leading up to the crime, including three prior armed robberies and an additional negligent security lawsuit brought forth on behalf of a former resident robbed at gunpoint. Testimony from the community board members revealed that they were also concerned about the rampant crime, and even making concessions that security measures in place at the complex were inadequate in light of prior crime.

This lack of security resulted in a likely preventable crime: Bryan Perez being shot six times and sustaining life-changing injuries. As a result of his injuries, Perez is paralyzed from the waist down, and will require extensive medical care, pain management, therapy, and the help of home health attendants for the remainder of his life.

Had appropriate steps been taken to improve security, both the tragic, life-altering injury sustained by Perez and the resulting lawsuit against the community associations and property managers might have been prevented.

Using Technology to Turn the Tide

While the complex did have security cameras on site that caught images of Perez’s assailants entering and exiting the complex, these images were only helpful to the case after the crime had already occurred. If Carmel Lake had invested in proactive security measures, such as Remote Guarding, it might have prevented the tragic shooting, robbery and subsequent lawsuit from happening at all.

Edgeworth Security’s Remote Guarding uses state-of-the-art cameras, artificial intelligence and access control systems along with 24/7 live monitoring by highly trained agents to protect residents and help prevent theft and vandalism in real-time. Forensic site analysis and digital line barriers are used to define what normal activity is for a specific property and alert our security guards when unusual/undesirable activity is detected.

Once an alert is received, such as an intruder on the premises, security agents can tell the intruder they have been spotted, their actions are being recorded and law enforcement is on the way. This real-time communication serves as a deterrent, often resulting in the intruder leaving the property before they can commit the intended theft or property damage.

Remote Guarding improves security by proactively monitoring for threats 24/7, reducing human error and false alarms, and eliminating the need for on-site guards. This allows clients to save considerably while making true security attainable so they can rest easy knowing that their residents, property and interests are protected.