NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have identified the driver who, they said, was taken to the hospital following an officer-involved shooting in Northwest Miami-Dade and have also confirmed a second arrest, as more details about the incident that also left an officer injured come to light.
According to Miami-Dade Police, what started with an attempted routine traffic stop ended with shots fired in the area of Northwest 22nd Avenue and 64th Street, Friday evening.
Investigators said an officer attempted to pull over 38-year-old Virgil French, who was behind the wheel of a white Dodge Challenger, but the motorist refused to stop, eventually hitting an electric pole.
Police said a second occupant in the vehicle, 40-year-old Charlie Harris, was sitting in the passenger seat at the moment of impact.
Speaking with reporters Friday night, MDPD Detective Luis Sierra, said French used the car to injure an officer.
“Our officers quickly assessed and attempted to make contact. The subject accelerated toward one of our officers, striking him and pinning him against his own vehicle,” said Sierra. “Our officer discharged his firearm, striking the subject.”
7News cameras at the scene captured the Challenger’s windshield riddled with bullet holes.
The officer was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital with leg injuries.
Paramedics transported French to JMH’s Ryder Trauma Center with multiple gunshot wounds.
Police have charged French with attempted murder of a police officer. Detectives said they found a gun in the car that had been stolen.
Harris was also placed under arrest. He faces charges of resisting arrest and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On Sunday, Harris appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Maria D. Ortiz. The suspect was injured in the crash and currently requires a walker.
As it turns out, Harris was charged three years ago after he pushed a lit cigarette into his 5-year-old son’s chest because he wouldn’t give back a phone, according to court documents.
A woman who lives in the neighborhood where Friday’s shooting took place said she saw the police pursuit right in front of her.
“The white car, basically, it stopped at the stop sign, and once he’s seen the police coming, they just drove by,” she said. “Yeah, I was afraid that somebody was going to get hit.”
Her neighborhood quickly became a crime scene, with blocked roads, police tape and dozens of detectives.
“It’s a scary situation. Thankfully, the officer is going to be OK,” said Sierra. “I don’t know what the thought process was of the individual that was driving the vehicle.”
The injured officer has since been released from the hospital. He has not been identified.
As of late Sunday night, Harris remains behind bars. As for French, he will be transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade once he is stable.
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