Suspect In Custody After A Two County Police Chase
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Police have caught a crime suspect which led them on a chase through the City of Miami.
Earlier on Tuesday, the police started chasing the suspect in a blue van on I-95 in the glades area, in Broward County.
The car fled on the southbound lanes of I-95 and later exited on North Miami Ave. where the driver kept driving even after hitting two cars.
The van continued until it crashed into a black sedan in the area of 16th ave and SW 1st street.
The suspect then bailed out of the car and ran, but police were able to catch up to him and place him in custody.
"It was madness," a witness named Sara told CBS4's Lauren Pastrana. "I thought the girl in the car was really hurt. It took her a while to get out."
Before the chase entered Miami-Dade, the Broward Sheriff's Office says it began with a car burglary at a Home Depot store in West Park. David Goupil, who was shopping inside the store, said he returned to his work van to find a side window smashed out.
Goupil said a witness told him that the thief reached inside the van, grabbed a bunch of tools and loaded them into his car. Goupil estimated the loss at more than $1,000.
"What am I gonna do tomorrow?" Goupil told CBS 4′s Carey Codd. "I'm not gonna be able to go out and work and make any money. Now I have to sit at home for 2 or 3 days trying to figure out where I'm gonna get money to pay for my tools."
Goupil said he was shocked to see the thief racing through streets, slamming into cars and eventually trying to avoid police on foot before getting handcuffed. The chase may have captured the attention of two counties but to Goupil it was a personal crime that affects his pocketbook.
"People who work hard, it shouldn't happen to us," he said.
In Miami-Dade, one man who arrived on the scene where the chase ended said the blue van belonged to him.
"I saw it on the television," Jose Fornel told Pastrana. "That's my car so I came over here."
Fornel said he reported his van missing on January 14th. He said it was taken from his Little Havana home.
The suspect's name has not been released.
The Miami-Dade Police Department said he will likely face charges of fleeing and eluding and leaving the scene of a crash with injuries.
No word from the Broward Sheriff's Office on any charges that might be filed against the thief.