I-95 Police Chase In Broward Ends In Crash Near Pembroke Road
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A high-speed police pursuit on I-95 in Broward ended in a crash that sent five juveniles to the hospital.
Fort Lauderdale polices said just before 7 a.m. they received a call about an attempt to steal a car out of the garage of a residence in the 2200 block of NE 28th Avenue.
A description of the suspect's vehicle was put out over the police radio and officers spotted it shortly thereafter. Police said a check of the vehicle's tag found that it had been reported stolen in Miami-Dade.
Officers pursued the vehicle and requested assistance from the Broward Sheriff's Office aviation unit. Once the BSO chopper found the vehicle, Fort Lauderdale police pulled back.
Police said the driver of the stolen vehicle drove erratically and struck a person on a bicycle at NW 27th Avenue and NW 6th Street. The injured bicyclist was also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The police and BSO chopper continued to follow the SUV and when it entered the southbound lanes of I-95 the Florida Highway Patrol was notified.
Chopper4 was over the scene when the driver lost control after clipping two vehicles while attempting to change lanes near the exit ramp to Pembroke Road. The SUV spun around, hit a guard rail, and then flipped over.
The crash left several other drivers hurt. Sharon Glueck was headed to work when her car was hit.
"I was hit and I spun around and I saw another car being hit. When I finally stopped, I saw police had drawn their guns and they told me to quickly get to the side of the road and wait there to be safe," she said.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers and Fort Lauderdale police rushed in and took the SUV's five occupants into custody.
All five were transported to Joe DiMaggio Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"It was devastating and it hurt me so bad. I thought I lost my brother," said Kahari Craig whose 16-year-old brother was in the SUV. He's now in the intensive care unit at the hospital.
A woman who said she was the aunt of the 16-year-old who was behind the wheel said it didn't have to end as it did.
"I'm not justifying the kids' behavior, they were wrong, but I think the police could have handled it better than what they did," she said.
As for what charges the they will face, that has yet to be determined. The FHP is investigating the pursuit and crash while Fort Lauderdale police are investigating the attempted car theft.