LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - Three people, including two Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies, are recovering after a chase ended in a horrific crash in Lauderhill.
The crash happened along Oakland Park Boulevard, near Pine Island Road, just before 11 p.m., Tuesday.
Prior to the crash, cellphone video captured the driver of a silver Nissan doing doughnuts in the middle of an intersection of State Road 7 and Oakland Park Boulevard.
Witnesses said the motorist, later identified by BSO as 26-year-old Alfred Richardson, appeared to attempt to hit other vehicles.
“He was just going in circles, like physically, and then he was trying to hit other cars while he was doing that,” said witness Tavaris Morgan.
The suspect appeared in court on Wednesday. He faces a list of charges, including reckless driving causing serious bodily harm.
Deputies said they responded to a call regarding a reckless driver. Witnesses said Richardson kept doing doughnuts in the middle of the intersection.
“They was trying to stop him, and he continued to do doughnuts in a circle, and he ran from them,” said a woman.
“All he had to do was stop. At that moment, it would have been at most a traffic criminal offense,” said a prosecutor at Richardson’s court hearing.
At one point, deputies had him pinned, only to watch him speed away moments later.
“They were trying to crack his window. They started chasing him in circles, then they shot back up this way,” said Morgan.
“Just slid down Oakland Park, like he was on an ice rink,” said witness Tiara Frazier.
A deputy on foot tried to make a traffic stop, but Richardson did not stop.
Investigators said the suspect hit the deputy in the process, sending him to the hospital.
A chase then ensued and ended in a multi-vehicle crash that included a BSO patrol car.
“[The driver of the Nissan] was just sliding, ‘boom, boom, boom, boom,'” said Frazier. “It [sounded] like a little atomic bomb.”
Detectives said Richardson attempted to run from the scene on foot, but he would not get far.
Frazier said she saw the moment one of the injured deputies ran for help.
“When he hit the pole, he hopped out of the car, and he ran to, like, right there where the ambulance is, and he kind of collapsed,” she said.
“It’s sad; it’s really sad,” one woman said.
Officials said both deputies were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. They were both released on Wednesday.
Another driver was also taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Oakland Park Boulevard was closed to traffic overnight but has since reopened.
Witnesses said eight cars were towed from the scene.
“That’s like eight cars that have been damaged, including [the suspect’s] car,” said Frazier.
Richardson’s bond has been set at $21,000. If he is released, he will not be allowed to drive a car while the case is pending, and he has been ordered to undergo a mental health screening.
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