Two Miami-Dade police officers and a civilian were hospitalized after being involved in an accident that began with a stolen car fleeing a traffic stop Tuesday, authorities said.
The incident began when a license plate reader retrieved a tag from a stolen car and a Miami-Dade police cruiser attempted to stop the vehicle, which drove off officers, Det. Louis Sierra.
A second police cruiser was responding when a car made a left turn at the intersection, Sierra said. Two other vehicles were also hit in the accident.
A large number of officers were at the scene of the crash, which happened near the intersection of Northwest 103rd Street and 17th Avenue.
Footage showed the badly damaged front of the marked police car, not far from a van that was also damaged. A woman was also seen being placed on a stretcher.
A man said his girlfriend was in one of the cars involved in the accident. He said he spoke to her before she went to the hospital to be checked.
“She just said it was quick, someone started a fire and the police, I guess, were trying to catch up to them and hit her,” the man said.
Sierra said the two officers and the woman were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“The officers were taken to the hospital and are thankfully fine,” Sierra said. “Another passenger has also been transferred and is doing well, thank goodness.”
Officers surrounded a nearby neighborhood after finding the stolen getaway car. A perimeter has been established and three potential suspects have been arrested and are being questioned, Sierra said.