MIAMI – A Miami Springs police officer is injured after being dragged by a car driven at 60-80 mph by a teenager during a traffic stop Thursday afternoon, police said.
The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. in the 3500 block of Northwest South River Drive.
Miami Springs police said the motorcycle officer pulled over a black Mazda driven by a 15-year-old boy.
The officer was talking to the driver when the driver grabbed the officer and took off, speeding on South River Drive at 60-80 mph with the officer hanging from the vehicle. Police said the officer was dragged for a quarter of a mile before he fell to the ground.
"Either the officer somehow got away from his hold or the subject dropped him. That part I don't know," said Officer Janice Simon, of the Miami Springs Police Department.
At some point during the incident, the officer was able to make a radio call for help.
The officer was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital in serious condition.
Miami Springs police said the driver pulled over in a parking lot on South River Drive and ran across the street into a yard of shipping containers. Officers set up a perimeter and arrested the suspect, a 15-year-old boy, there.
Police said the teen likely will face charges of attempted murder.
It is unclear whether the officer was wearing his helmet.
"Usually when they do traffic enforcement, since they're not riding on the motorcycle, they're not driving around a lot, they take it off. If he had it on or not, I couldn't tell at this moment," Simon said.
The officer is a 13-year veteran of the Miami Springs Police Department.