Car thief crashes vehicle, ducks officer pursuit, slips away

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Police officers continue to search for a man who crashed a stolen vehicle and was able to evade officers.

On Wednesday, Miami Shores police officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call in El Portal, which they believe was used in multiple car break-ins late Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

Officers pursued the driver of the vehicle, a gray Nissan, with lights and sirens on after running plates and determining the car was reported stolen, officers said. 

A short time later, the car thief crashed the vehicle into a parked black Cadillac on Northeast 98th Street and fled on foot in a Miami Shores neighborhood, officers said.

Following the crash, officers established a two-block perimeter at Northeast 2nd Avenue and Northeast 98th Street and brought in K-9 units.

Doorbell surveillance video shows officers patrolling the scene in search of the thief.

As a police cruiser drove by, the thief ducked behind an SUV parked in a driveway, doorbell video shows.

The officers have recovered the vehicle while the search for the thief continues.

Items and belongings in the car were returned to victims.