A shootout with an armed suspect that left two FBI agents dead and two more hospitalized while trying to serve a warrant in a child pornography case in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday morning is drawing parallels to another deadly gunfight in the Sunshine State from 35 years ago.

"Tragically, the FBI lost two of our own today," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement Tuesday. "Special Agent Daniel Alfin and Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger were shot and killed this morning in the line of duty while executing a federal court-ordered search warrant in a crimes against children investigation in Sunrise, Florida."

A 1986 shootout between FBI officers and two violent bank robbers outside Miami was among the deadliest in the bureau’s history and led to reforms for both federal and local law enforcement agencies. The suspects, serial robbers and killers with military training and weapons superior to those of law enforcement, tried to blast their way to freedom after crashing off the road with law enforcement in hot pursuit on April 11, 1986, according to the FBI.

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Michael Lee Platt and William Russell Matix were known to use high-caliber weapons and stolen cars in a string of robberies that left multiple victims dead. Agents spotted them in a stolen Chevrolet Monte Carlo that day. They were believed to have killed several motorists whose cars they later used in robberies as well as an armored truck driver.

As they fled from eight pursuing agents, a four-car crash took the suspects and three FBI vehicles off the road. Then the shooting began, with Platt and Matix carrying a high-capacity rifle and a modified shotgun. The special agents had only one shotgun and the rest were using handguns.

Special Agents Benjamin Grogan, 53, and Jerry Dove, 30, were killed by a pair of wanted murderers and robbers. (FBI)

The ensuing gun battle left two agents dead, Benjamin Grogan, 53, and Jerry Dove, 30, and five wounded.

Witnesses at the time reported hearing gunshots going on for about 10 minutes.

Special Agent Edmundo Mireles, one of three agents who suffered serious wounds during the gunfight, shot and killed both suspects with his shotgun and a revolver as they tried to flee in Grogan and Dove’s car.

2 FBI AGENTS DEAD, OTHERS INJURED IN FLORIDA SHOOTING WHILE SERVING WARRANT: SOURCE

He later said that the car crash disrupted communication with local law police and backup FBI agents, who reached the scene after the shooting came to an end. He was the first special agent to receive the FBI's Medal of Valor.

In the aftermath of the shootout, one of the deadliest in FBI history, a government review determined that their agents needed better protection and more stopping power. They also revamped communication procedures during armed pursuits.

The suspects were using more powerful weapons and had the FBI outgunned, so the bureau subsequently enhanced body armor and firearms available to its agents. Police departments around the country followed suit.

The bureau moved away from 9mm handguns shortly thereafter, first to 10mm and then to .40 S&W, before eventually returning to the 9mm in recent years after technological improvements enhanced its penetration abilities.

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The government dedicated a federal office building in Miramar, Fla., to Grogan and Dove in 2015.

"Every day, FBI Special Agents put themselves in harm’s way to keep the American people safe. Special Agent Alfin and Special Agent Schwartzenberger exemplified heroism today in defense of their country," Wray said.

The suspect in Tuesday’s shootout is also dead, according to authorities.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.