ORLANDO, Fla. – Law enforcement officers waited and strategized as they surrounded the Carver Shores home where double murder suspect Markeith Loyd was hiding before he was arrested there on Jan. 17, bringing a nine-day manhunt to an end.
Radio transmissions among officers on the scene were released Wednesday by State Attorney Brad King's office, along with dozens of other pieces of evidence collected in the case. Loyd is accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon on Dec. 13 and Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton on Jan. 9 as she was trying to apprehend him at a John Young Parkway Walmart.
The radio transmissions began as officials were staking out the home. An officer said Loyd had been on the phone with someone who was trying to convince him not to turn himself in. That person's identity is unknown.
Once Loyd was off the phone, officers in the area swarmed to the scene.
They saw Loyd look out the door. The transmissions became more urgent.
"He came out the carport door and shut it, he's definitely inside," an officer said.
About 45 seconds later, an officer asked anyone near the command post to bring Clayton's handcuffs to the scene "ASAP." As they started preparing to make an arrest, an officer asked if anyone had confirmed that the man in the home was in fact Loyd.
"Yeah, it's him, still wearing body armor," an officer at the scene said between exasperated breaths. K-9s can be heard barking in the background.
The officers breathed a sigh of relief when Loyd's arrest was confirmed about 19 seconds later.
"All units on the channel: Lt. Clayton's handcuffs are on the suspect," a man said.
The congratulations were short-lived as officers worked to coordinate the aftermath of the arrest and Loyd's transfer to Orlando police headquarters.
"It is confirmed. He was still wearing body armor. He came out resisting and he met the force," an officer said.
Orange County Sheriff's Office helicopter video of Loyd's arrest shows him crawling on his stomach outside the home toward a band of law enforcement officers who had formed a perimeter. At least a dozen officers approached Loyd while he was on the ground.
The camera panned away after seconds after an officer kicked Loyd. Orlando police Chief John Mina said officers feared that Loyd had a weapon hidden under his body armor because they knew he had already discarded two guns, including one with a 100-round capacity.
Loyd was originally charged with resisting arrest, but that charge was dropped on May 1.
The 5-minute audio file of radio transmissions ends when a car with a vehicle cage arrived to transport Loyd. The last transmission was a final congratulations.
"Excellent job."