MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies are investigating a major car crash in west Miami-Dade, which involved a marked Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office cruiser.
According to MDSO, the crash occurred just after 2:30 a.m. in the area of Southwest 87th Avenue and 32nd Street, just a few blocks west of Tropical Park.
Authorities said a deputy was driving along Galloway Road when he attempted to pull over a Nissan sedan due to “suspicious activity.”
But deputies the driver refused to stop and rear-ended the deputy’s vehicle, prompting a chase.
Deputies said they were disengaging from the chase when the Nissan sideswiped and rear-ended the deputy’s car again.
“A Miami-Dade Sheriff’s sergeant ordered the pursuit to be terminated, and while the deputy was in the process, he rear-ended the deputy while attempting to flee,” Detective Angel Rodriguez said.
The driver then lost control of the car and crashed into a tree, causing the vehicle to ignite, authorities said.
“It felt loud, and, like, I heard the impact,” Max Menendez, who lives in the area, said. “We see them get a fire extinguisher to try and put out the fire, and I come back out a couple minutes later and it’s fully set ablaze. There’s a giant cloud of smoke in the sky.”
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene and extinguished the fire.
The Nissan was left mangled. Its doors appeared to have been pried open and a fire extinguisher was spotted on the ground nearby.
Investigators were also seen closely examining the cruiser and a few took photos of damage.
Galloway Road was shut down in both directions for hours after the crash.
Deputies confirmed that MDFR personnel transported the driver of the Nissan to a local hospital in critical condition.
His identity has not yet been released.
“I find it pretty shocking,” Menendez said. “There’s always been accidents near this road, like down near the corner -- nothing this close to my home, so I was kind of freaked out about it.”
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