Four killed in shootout after two jewelry thieves hijacked a UPS truck and its driver on his first day and led cops on a high speed chase that ended when 19 police fired 200 rounds on the vehicle

Four people have been killed in South Florida after two armed jewelry thieves hijacked a UPS truck along with its driver and led cops on a high-speed 25-mile pursuit that ended when the vehicle got stuck in traffic Thursday afternoon.

Cops sprayed the truck with 200 bullets during a shoot out with the suspects that also killed a bystander who was in an idle car near the mayhem as the wild chase came to an end on a busy highway. 

The pair of robbers were after diamonds at the Regent Jeweler's store on the Miracle Mile of Coral Gables.

After entering the store, employees set off a silent alarm which alerted police who were on the scene within a minute and a half.

But by that time, the robbers and the store owner had exchanged gunfire, with one female employee shot in the head by a ricocheting bullet fired by one of the assailants. She is in a stable condition.

The jewel thieves then fled in their U-Haul van but ditched it a mile away before abducting a UPS delivery truck and its driver Frank Ordonez, who was on the first day of the job and leaves behind a one-year-old daughter.

They led police on a wild chase for 23 miles before the truck became stuck in traffic and a shoot out erupted.   

As many as 19 officers descended on the truck, spraying the vehicle with more than 200 rounds, a source told WFOR.

The two suspects were killed at the scene along with the abducted UPS driver and a bystander who was inside an idle car near the mayhem.   

A coworker said that Thursday had been Ordonez's first day as a driver after having completed his training, and that he had been excited about going to work.

A GoFundMe page went up late Thursday to raise funds for Ordonez. It was set up by Local 804, a union that represents UPS workers in New York, to help Odonez's family with funeral costs.

UPS did not mention him by name, but released a statement saying the package delivery company was 'deeply saddened' he had been a 'victim of this senseless violence'. 

One bullet was even found to have struck the Coral Gables City Hall during the exchange at the jewelry store.

City Clerk Billy Urquia told the Miami Herald he was in his office when he heard a gun shot. 

He then heard a second gun shot and then the sound of a bullet piercing his window.

'The bullet ricocheted off the wall and landed on the floor', Urquia said Thursday night. 'The last one I heard was the one that came in'.

The suspects then made their escape in the hijacked UPS truck, taking its driver hostage and leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit. The chase was captured by news outlets and broadcast live as the drama unfolded. 

Rush-hour had started when the truck made its getaway and as many as 40 emergency vehicles pursued.

The UPS truck made its way up the Florida Turnpike, then on to Okeechobee Road and finally Interstate 75 into Broward County.

The suspects fired upon cops during the pursuit, the Miami Herald reports. 

After several running several red lights and harrowing maneuvers made in an attempt to escape, the truck came to a stop on Miramar Parkway near Flamingo Road because of traffic around 5.30pm.

Motorists and bystanders watched as police officers frantically scrambled to stop the suspects. 

Police in footage taken of the chase are then seen approaching the truck and opening fire into the vehicle, reports WPLG.

Gun shots are fired, and a man's leg became visible in the truck's passenger side door, followed by another man climbing over him who covered his head for protection from the spray of bullets.

Dozens of cops arrived as blood could be seen covering the roadway and at least one person was airlifted to an area hospital after the violence ended.  

The follow-up investigation includes support from the FBI.

'This is what dangerous people do to get away', Hudak said. 'And this is what people will do to avoid capture'. 

Hours after the chase ended, medical gauze, wrappers and other debris remained strewn across the Miramar roadway’s middle lane, next to the truck which still had its right rear door open. 

Traffic remained snarled, and it was not clear how long it would take investigators to clear the scene.

UPS spokesman David Graves said they are staying in touch with authorities. He didn’t share any information about the driver, Ordonez.

His brother Roy, in a social medial posting that was tweeted by Amber Diaz, a reporter at WFOR, quotes his anguish over the loss. In the post, the brother tells the slain driver that he will always 'love him'.