MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The second of two teenagers arrested following a frightening chase in Miami Beach’s entertainment district has appeared in front of a judge.
Two teenagers sit in jail following Sunday’s chase, which saw a black Cadillac sedan speeding down Ocean Drive. People could be seen on video running for their lives as the car barreled through Lummus Park.
“These two individuals attempted to strike officers while they were on their motorcycles,” Miami Beach Police spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez said. “Who knows what else they would have done? They needed to be stopped.”
Miami Beach Police are reviewing whether or not the officer’s actions while involved in the chase was appropriate. Investigators review any officer’s actions when their department is involved in a pursuit.
Israel Delestre, 18, faced a judge in court on Tuesday after he surrendered himself to police Monday night. He faces charges that include aggravated battery on a police officer and two counts of false imprisonment.
According to police, Delestre and 15-year-old Jeffrey Schick were inside of the car during the chase, which eventually ended near Washington Avenue and Sixth Street. They added Delestre was driving and refused to pull over near South Pointe after running a stop sign, and he eventually hit a motorcycle officer near Second Street and Ocean Drive before fleeing.
A surveillance camera captured Delestre ditching the car and running away, along with another minor.
Three women also got out of the vehicle, and police said the women were being held against their will.
“[The women] pleaded with the defendant to stop the vehicle, so they could get out, and he continued to drive at a high rate of speed, locking all the doors, saying, ‘No one is leaving the car,'” a prosecutor said during the proceeding.
After Delestre bailed out of the car, Schick, who was also inside of the car, jumped behind the wheel and sped away. He led officers east through Lummus Park and Ocean Drive before he was arrested.
“Had it not been for the officer who was following behind with his lights and — most importantly — sirens activated, there was going to be no way that those pedestrians and those cyclists would have been alerted to this subject,” Rodriguez said.
Police said the Cadillac was reported stolen and had been used in other crimes across Miami-Dade County. Officers also recovered a firearm with an extended magazine inside of the vehicle.
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