MIAMI – The Miami police chief and the Florida Highway Patrol responded Monday after the FHP said a state trooper pulls over a Miami police cruiser driving 120 mph on Florida's Turnpike.
Officer Fausto Lopez, 35, was charged with reckless driving in the Oct. 11 incident. An FHP trooper pulled Lopez over in the southbound lanes of Florida's Turnpike near Hollywood Boulevard after following him for 12 miles in seven minutes at speeds reaching 120 mph, police said.
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The police officer drew her weapon when Lopez finally pulled over, then handcuffed him.
The incident sparked controversy, with some police officers saying the FHP trooper was overzealous, and others saying she was just doing her job.
"He was endangering everybody around him, and he, like my predecessor used to say, he did a knuckleheaded move, and he will pay for it," said Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa.
On the dash cam video, the FHP trooper is heard saying, "This is not a first time occurrence with y'all. Y'all come from that way all the time -- this Miami police car -- and we never catch it."
FHP defended the trooper's actions, saying it could have been important to stop the police cruiser if it had been stolen or if its driver was involved in a crime.
"She wanted to, evidently, make contact with him, detain him, to find out what was causing him to drive in that fashion," said Sgt. Mark Wysocky, of FHP.
Lopez was given a reckless driving ticket. He faces a court hearing for the second-degree misdemeanor.
Lopez has been with the Miami Police Department for several years and has had a good driving record, both before and after becoming a police officer. He remains on duty. The police chief said he is waiting for the outcome of the criminal charge and an internal affairs investigation.