A Cuban man who tried to flee from a traffic stop because he was driving a stolen car, was lightly injured after an officer, fearing the subject would run him over, fired some shots.
According to the police report - cited by America Tevé - shortly after nine o'clock on Tuesday night, the Hialeah police detected the presence of a stolen car driving along Okeechobee Road.
A patrol followed him and waited for a traffic signal with a steady red light to make a traffic stop. However, when the driver of the stolen BMW saw the uniformed police officer, he tried to escape by making a U-turn. It was then that, as the officer involved reported, out of fear of being run over, he fired his weapon.
The incident occurred in the area of 12th Avenue West and 29th Street West in Hialeah.
The individual, 37 years old and identified as Lester Ramirez Rodriguez, was hit on the right wrist and left shoulder.
The car driven by Lester Ramirez was a black 2020 BMW, which had been stolen in the city of Sweetwater on May 16th.
After being injured, the individual was first taken by the firefighters to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be attended to by medical personnel and later on, they were transferred to the Hialeah police station.
Once at the station, he was not willing to cooperate, as he first provided a false identity and then refused to testify.
The man was transferred to the TGK county jail, where he remains detained until the closing of this report.
The Cuban man is formally accused of three charges: aggravated assault on an officer, grand theft auto, and use of false identity.
This Wednesday, investigators approached the area to gather evidence.
The neighbors are still recovering from the scare, although some admit that they are increasingly getting used to hearing gunshots.
"Everyone is complaining about the killings that are happening, we need to take action," another Cuban pointed out in statements to the aforementioned media outlet.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is in charge of investigating the incident, as is usual in cases involving police officers.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under: