SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A person driving a Prius crashed into a bus bench, hitting two people before fleeing in Southwest Miami-Dade.
Two people who were waiting for the bus along 77th Avenue and Kendall Drive near Dadeland Mall ended up with quite a scare after the Prius crashed into the bench at their stop, Friday afternoon.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, the two people at the bus stop were transported to the hospital, along with one other person who was injured from an earlier hit-and-run in the area of Bird Road and 82nd Avenue.
“They were there waiting for the bus as the subject lost control and ran into the bus bench,” said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez.
Florida Highway Patrol and Miami-Dade Police responded to the scene in Kendall, around 4 p.m.
Officials said the 42-year-old man, identified as John William Fernandez, took his mother’s Toyota Prius without her permission. Not long after that, he allegedly sideswiped a red Sedan near Bird Road and 82nd Avenue.
Police said that no one was injured in that case, but investigators said that was just the beginning.
They said the suspect then got on the Palmetto Expressway and headed south before he crashed into a car near Sunset Drive. He injured one person in that case and fled.
The driver then, officials said, exited off the Palmetto Expressway in Southwest Miami-Dade before crashing into the bus bench.
FHP said the driver was heading west along Kendall Drive when he lost control of the car and went off of the road.
After the collision, the driver fled the scene on foot and ran into a nearby complex called Kings Creek.
That driver is now in police custody and was transported to Larkin Hospital for his rib injuries.
“He is apprehended. It’s good that he was apprehended because as you can see, he was maybe acting in a manner that was reckless and careless, and putting other people’s lives in danger,” said Sanchez.
The two people waiting for the bus were been transported to Jackson South Medical Center in unknown condition. The third person in the hit-and-run was taken to Baptist Hospital.
“As we know, through his involvements in these accidents, three people have been hospitalized,” Sanchez said. “Right now, it’s an ongoing investigation.”
At this point, the driver is facing three felony charges for hit-and-run with injuries. Sanchez said there are other charges that are pending.
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