Injured Miami-Dade police officer fires at driver who was trying to get away after crash

MIAMI – A police officer shot the driver who was pinning him against a car on Friday in Miami-Dade County, police said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded to a car crash and a police-involved shooting in the area of Northwest 21 Avenue and 62 and 63 streets in the Brownsville-Gladeview boundary.

Detective Luis Sierra, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, said police officers were working in the area when they saw a car speeding and a crash.

“They observed the white Dodge … striking an electrical pole,” Sierra said.

A police officer with the department’s robbery intervention detail then rushed toward the driver of the Dodge Challenger.

“The subject accelerated towards one of the officers, striking him and pinning him against his own vehicle,” Sierra said. “Our officer discharged his firearm striking the subject.”

Fire Rescue personnel took two injured to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

A witness said he heard a barrage of gunshots. The Dodge Challenger had bullet holes in the front windshield. There were evidence markers on the ground. There was a red car.

A police officer first spotted the driver of the Dodge Challenger in the area of Northwest 70 Street and 18 Avenue, activated his emergency equipment, and attempted to stop him, but the driver sped away, according to police.

After the crash and the shooting, detectives detained a passenger who was in The Dodge Challenger. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was investigating the shooting.

Detectives asked anyone with information about the case to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Local 10 News Photojournalist Bob Palumbo and Assignment Editor Stephany Heilbron contributed to this report.