MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A Miami Beach police officer was arrested Tuesday, months after an apparent road rage incident in Broward County.
Jail records show Officer Frank Celestre, 55, was being held at the Broward County Main Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
He has since posted a $20,000 bond and is expected to be released sometime Wednesday. A judge ordered him to stay away from the alleged victim in the case once he is released and he isn’t allowed to possess any weapons.
According to Celestre’s arrest warrant, the victim filed a formal Internal Affairs complaint on May 28, stating that Celestre had pointed a gun at him while driving in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75.
The man told detectives that he was heading to Miami International Airport when he saw the officer’s marked SUV “zigging, zagging in and out of traffic” after he entered the Sawgrass Expressway from Commercial Boulevard.
The man said Celestre then approached the entrance to I-75 southbound, cutting off a BMW while trying to get into the express lane, causing that driver to veer off the side of the road.
According to the warrant, the man said he rolled down his window at one point and told Celestre, “You’re nuts. You’re f***ing crazy, what you just did.”
Celestre then “flipped him the bird” and then pointed a gun at him a short time later, causing the victim to brake in order to get behind the SUV, the warrant stated.
According to the warrant, the victim took a photo of the police vehicle and its tag, and then called the Miami Beach Police Department once he arrived at the airport.
“On May 28, 2023, the Miami Beach Police Department was made aware of an incident involving one of our officers,” Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements said in a statement. “The incident was immediately referred to the Broward County State Attorney’s Office for investigation, and the officer was relieved of duty. Our department takes this matter seriously and is fully cooperating with the investigating agency.”
According to the warrant, detectives were able to confirm that Celestre was in the area the victim claimed he was driving in when the incident occurred.
The warrant states that Celestre has worked for the police department for 20 years and was assigned to the road patrol division at the time the incident occurred.