DORAL, Fla. — Officials with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office announced an arrest Sunday in connection with a crash on Florida’s Turnpike that left one of the agency’s deputies badly hurt on Saturday. They said the driver wasn’t even supposed to have been behind the wheel.

The crash happened at around 7 a.m. between Northwest 41st and 58th streets in Doral.

According to MDSO, Deputy Leonard Cantave, a six-year veteran of the agency, was assisting the Florida Highway Patrol with another crash as he headed into work when a driver ― identified as Lonnel Brinson Jr. ― hit Cantave with his Mazda CX-5 as he swerved to avoid the deputy’s cruiser.

Cantave was “vaulted into the air” by the force of the crash and was critically injured, leading medics to airlift him to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital with critical injuries. An MDSO spokesperson said the agency was “grateful to say that Deputy Cantave is in stable condition” Sunday afternoon.

Deputies said Brinson, 28, of Miramar, failed to slow down for any of the marked police cruisers or Road Rangers at the crash scene, leading to the wreck.

They said he admitted afterwards to “consuming marijuana and alcoholic beverages” before the crash and told deputies he had more marijuana and a gun inside his car.

Additionally, deputies said Brinson was driving on a license that had been suspended less than three weeks before the crash over a failure to pay traffic fines. It’s been suspended a total of five times, an arrest report states.

Deputies said they took a blood sample from Brinson and arrested him on charges of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and knowingly driving on a suspended license.

Court records show he was released from jail Sunday on a $5,000 bond.

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