MIAMI (WSVN) - A woman was killed and four teens were arrested after a police chase in Miami, involving a car that had been carjacked at gunpoint, ended in a crash that sent three officers to the hospital.
City of Miami Police responded to the scene of the crash near Northwest 17th Avenue and 58th Street, at around 5 p.m., Sunday.
Police said they recognized a red Hyundai that was carjacked at gunpoint Saturday night and was also connected to an armed robbery Sunday afternoon.
“We were telling officers, ‘Be on the lookout for this vehicle that was taken in a carjacking,’ and then the vehicle was then used in another armed robbery. We recognized the vehicle. We pursued the vehicle,” said Miami Police Officer Michael Vega.
According to police, the vehicle, which had four heavily armed suspects inside, smashed into three other vehicles, including the personal vehicle of an off-duty police officer.
“The vehicle was fleeing from us, ran the stop sign, subsequently hit the police officer that was off-duty in his personal vehicle,” said Vega.
“It went ‘boom!’ And, I don’t know, I just ran,” said witness Rosa Rodriguez Newell.
Officials said the Hyundai then struck and killed a woman who was exiting a nearby funeral home, slammed into a fence and came to rest on its roof..
“The vehicle then flipped over, hit the pedestrian that was on the sidewalk,” said Vega.
Rodriguez Newell said she and her sister saw what happened.
“Oh, my God, it was awful, and she was crying, I was crying,” she said.
“What a sad thing that somebody comes to pay their respects to a friend or a family member and is tragically killed by four animals,” said Vega.
Police said officers found what is likely a stash of stolen items inside the Hyundai, including phones, wallets and guns.
“Our officers responded to where the suspects were and were able to recover several handguns,” said Vega. “One had fallen out of the vehicle, and a few others were inside the vehicle.”
Police temporarily closed off Northwest 17th Avenue in both directions as they investigated.
Officials said the three officers suffered minor injuries when they broke the vehicle’s glass windows to pull the suspects out of the overturned car. They are expected to be OK.
Two of the four suspects are juvenile, officials said.
Police said the four suspects were taken into custody and then transported to an area hospital, where they are expected to be OK.
One of them, identified as 18-year-old Renard Bonham, appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Renatha S. Francis, Monday afternoon.
“So you’re being charged, sir, with carrying a concealed firearm,” said Francis.
Bonham was also charged with taking a ride in a stolen car.
Investigators identified the other suspects as 15-year-old Marvin Lee Daniels, 16-year-old Jonathon Alfonzo Daniels and 18-year-old Tharron Lawton.
Both juveniles appeared in children’s court on Monday.
“I’m going to make a finding that he does present a danger to the community,” said the presiding judge about one of the suspects.
Both of them will remain in secure detention for the time being. They are due back in court on Tuesday.
Lawton remains in the hospital.
Monday afternoon, 7News cameras captured crews working to repair power lines that came down as a result of the crash.
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