A suspect suffered critical injuries after crashing into a Miami-Dade deputy’s patrol cruiser and sparking a fiery wreck during a short pursuit early Wednesday morning, officials said.
At a press conference, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Angel Rodriguez explained that around 2:30 a.m., deputies chased a suspect driving southbound on 87th Avenue. The driver then slammed into a deputy’s patrol cruiser.
“The suspect side swiped and rear ended the deputy, so basically the deputy was struck several times by the same suspect at least three times,” Rodriguez said.
After hitting the cruiser, the suspect lost control, veered off the road, and slammed into a tree before the car erupted in flames, according to authorities.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews extinguished the fire and rushed the driver to the hospital in critical condition. Officials have not released the suspect’s name.
The deputy escaped without major injuries and is expected to be OK.
Witness captures cellphone video of crash
A nearby resident said he heard the chaos just before going to bed.
“I just got in bed, and I hear police sirens and loud crash, and typically, I hear police sirens impact,” Max Menendez told CBS News Miami. “I realize something happened this time, never seen something like this before.”
Menendez said he briefly went back inside his house, then returned to find black smoke rising into the night.
“You can see the embers, pretty disturbing,” he said. “I hear a cry, some guy wailing, very disturbing.”
Authorities closed SW 87th Avenue from SW 48th to 52nd Street for several hours.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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