MIAMI (WSVN) - Police said a driver intentionally crashed his car into the side of a Miami Police substation, trapping himself inside.
According to City of Miami Fire Rescue, the car crashed into the side of the Miami Police North District substation near 62nd Street and Northwest 10th Avenue, just after 7 a.m. Friday. Units then discovered a person, identified as 36-year-old Giftson Cherenfant, trapped in the vehicle.
7Skyforce was over the scene, where a fire truck was being used to tow the car away and free the victim.
“Based on video surveillance that we have, this breach – it was intentional,” said Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina. “He meant to breach the rear gate. He also breached the wall of the North District substation. No one was hurt, other than the driver.”
A police cruiser is now parked where the busted in gate used to be.
Cherenfant was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
Officials acted quickly upon hearing the crash. “The officers inside immediately approached the vehicle, weapons drawn,” Colina said.
One officer who suspected that this was no accident cornered the crashed vehicle with his own cruiser so the subject could not escape.
Bomb Squad was called after police found a weapon, a safe and other objects inside the vehicle. The substation was evacuated shortly after.
“This individual does not have a violent past,” said Colina. “He is a local. There really is nothing in his history that would indicate why he would behave this way.”
Police said the investigation into why Cherenfant crashed continues. However, family members told police that Cherenfant was acting different before the crash.
Cherenfant’s mother said she doesn’t know what went wrong. “No I don’t. I don’t know anything,” she said. “They told me, they said accident. I never know nothing.”
Other family members told 7News that Cherenfant is a good person.
No officers were hurt.
The driver is expected to recover from his injuries.
He is facing multiple charges, including armed burglary and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He also had a warrant for driving with a suspended license.
Cherenfant is being held without bond on the armed burglary charge at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.