SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police arrested two men after a pursuit resulted in a crash in Southwest Miami-Dade.
It all started overnight, Tuesday, when police noticed suspicious activity in the area of Southwest 92nd Avenue and 16th Street.
According to officials, officers noticed a tow truck driver trying to tow a Ford F-150. However, the tow truck had its lights off and the driver was not using the appropriate equipment.
When officers approached the driver, he took off and crashed into a Miami-Dade Police cruiser. The police officer was not injured and followed the suspect.
A short chase ensued before police caught up to the tow truck. However, the driver and another man bailed out of the car.
“He was able to stay in the pursuit and follow these individuals,” said MDP Detective Alvaro Zabaleta. “To lead them to bail out and then, of course, ultimately to an apprehension. It just goes to show that these individuals not only were they utilizing the resources that they had to steal cars, but they were brazen enough to utilize the same equipment that’s within these trucks to use it as a tool, as some type of weapon toward the officer.”
A perimeter was set up in the area of Southwest 87th Place and 36th Street. MDP officers searched on foot while a chopper circled from above.
7News cameras captured one man, 32-year-old Sergio Aguirre, being put in handcuffs and into the back of a police cruiser. Police said Aguirre was the passenger in the tow truck.
Several hours later, the second suspect, a 26-year-old Yadiel Rodriguez, was caught hiding nearby.
“As we continued throughout the morning to look where the driver was at, we ended up finding him right here next to us, in the bushes,” Zabaleta said.
Police said the Ford F-150 was returned to its rightful owner without any damage.
“This could have been worse. We could have had a dead officer. We could have had more property damage, other people effected,” Zabaleta said. These people were brazen enough to utilize whatever means, use their own resources as weapons in order to get away.”
However, residents of the neighborhood said this is not a surprising incident.
“This has been happening, I’ve been hearing it, since I was a kid, here and there, stories,” one resident said, “so it’s not a shock that it was happening, I was just shocked that it was happening here in front of the house because I didn’t hear a thing.”
Investigators are now trying to figure out if the pair has had more victims.
If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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