Crash involving MDPD cruiser in Miami Shores was result of armed robbery police chase
MIAMI SHORES — New details have emerged from a fatal crash involving a Miami-Dade Police cruiser on Halloween night.
According to a MDPD press release issued Wednesday, the crash was the end result of a chase involving a BOLO alert issued on an armed robbery suspect's vehicle from an incident that happened the week before.
According to investigators, an armed robbery occurred in Miami Beach and a BOLO (be on the lookout) alert was issued for the vehicle involved in the case.
Then, on Halloween night, detectives located the vehicle and requested assistance from MDPD's aviation unit, along with detectives from the Robbery Intervention Detail (RID) unit.
The suspect vehicle was traveling on North Miami Avenue when one of the passengers exited the vehicle and battered a woman who was seated at a bus stop. The occupants of the vehicle were identified as the following individuals:
- Javarie Johnson, 19
- Christopher Barry, 22
- Ronald Spencer, 19
- Kadrian Devante Spencer, 28
The suspect then fled on foot and was later apprehended by K-9 officers. Meanwhile, the suspect vehicle fled westbound on NW 103rd Street at high speeds with the headlights off.
Later, a RID officer in a marked patrol vehicle was traveling eastbound on NW 103rd Street without any emergency equipment and saw the suspect vehicle speeding against traffic. The officer attempted to avoid the speeding vehicle but it crashed into their car at the intersection of NW 103rd Street and NW 1st Avenue.
The remaining two suspects were taken into custody by responding officers.
The driver — Devante Spencer — suffered life-threatening injuries and officers immediately began life-saving efforts. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the driver to Ryder Trauma Center, where he died despite life-saving efforts.
The woman who was attacked at the bus stop was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital by family members with non-life-threatening injuries. And, the officer involved in the crash was also transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
All three passengers of the suspect vehicle were detained by the City of Miami Beach Police Department.
The crash and the events leading up to it are still under investigation.