MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade Police officer and driver involved in a crash Tuesday have been released from the hospital.
According to officials, both were released from Jackson Memorial Hospital, Wednesday afternoon, after a violent crash near Northwest 87th Street and 18th Avenue.
The civilian driver, 30-year-old Norbel Vargas, was heading south on Northwest 18th Avenue when, investigators said, he entered the intersection at 87th Street and was hit by the officer, who has been on the force for about a year.
Witnesses said the law enforcer was in pursuit of another vehicle at the time of the accident. However, officials have not confirmed a chase took place, though they conceded the officer reported a motorist who refused to pull over for a traffic stop.
“We had a vehicle that was refusing to stop,” said Miami-Dade Police Detective Jennifer Capote. “The officer advised the dispatcher, and there was no transmission after that.”
“I happened to see a big impact, like cars just flew up in the air,” said witness Gigi Jolly.
Jolly described a high-speed chase where the driver being pursued by the officer got away. “I saw this car coming toward me running the stop signs,” said Jolly, “and I had to actually get over, because he was about this [close] to hitting me.”
The cruiser sustained extensive damage. Almost the entire engine was destroyed, and the front windshield was shattered.
The investigation remains ongoing, officials said.
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