Marked Miami Police Car Pulled Over By FHP For Speeding

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A City of Miami Police officer was pulled over by the Florida Highway Patrol after allegedly excessively speeding on the Turnpike.

According to the incident report, the FHP officer was traveling southbound on the Turnpike on October 11th at around 6:30 a.m. near mile marker 62 when a marked Miami Police cruiser passed her at a high rate of speed.

“Based on her observation of the driving pattern of the vehicle she conducted a traffic stop and detained the driver to determine why he was driving in that fashion,” said FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky.

The trooper activated her emergency lights and attempted to pull over the car, but the report claims the car sped ahead weaving in and out of traffic. The trooper noted that at time, the car reached speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour.

When the trooper was finally able to pull the car over at mile marker 50.5. She approached the car with her gun drawn and noticed that the driver was a City of Miami police officer in full uniform. The officer, identified as Fausto Lopez, 35, told the trooper that en route to an off-duty detail and he had to be there by 7:00 a.m.

The officer was placed in handcuffs and detained in the back of the FHP cruiser while the trooper investigated. The officer was later released and cited for reckless driving.

City of Miami Police Det. Willie Moreno told CBS4’s Maggie Newland that the case is in the court’s hands right now.

Once the court process is completed, then the department will determine whether there were administrative violations and whether to take action.

Marked Miami Police Car Pulled Over By FHP For Speeding

mada

good job FHP, this miami cop should loose his take home car and be suspended w/o pay…
Juses Gonga

compliments to the trooper. that’s a real police officer following the law they way it should be

abootnkiki

she followed the law by breaking the law to catch up to him; and that makes sense???

m

What planet are you from –she was on duty and he was off duty. She is doing her job.
Really???

Ok, I also happen to be a police officer for the same dept involved in this story. I’m not taking sides but as I am trained to do I look at the facts. Of course most of you just heard or read part of the story and are quick to condemn the “reckless driver”. But don’t get me wrong, was he somewhat reckless? Hmmm, maybe. Was he speeding yes! But where in the video did you observe him going 120mph? I would estimate that when he first went past her he was probably doing somewhere around 100 (which would be considered reckless driving). But to my astonishment it took her more than 5 minutes to finally locate him after he passed her. During this time if anyone was doing 120 it might have been the Trooper. You’ll also notice that during her “pursuit” she was the one who was weaving in and out of traffic. For most of her “high speed pursuit” of the vehicle she no longer had in her sights, she was driving without lights and sirens. And to make matters worse, the roads were wet as you’ll notice she also had her wipers on. So yes, she undoubtedly put herslf and the lives of other drivers at risk just to try and catch up with this “traffic violator”!
One more note; as police officers we are not allowed to chase at excessive speeds, especially whie endangering others over a traffic infraction.
Should that cop get written up for speeding? Yes. Should the FHP officer have “chased” the way she did? No!
What if she was the one to have lost control and killed one of your family members just because she wanted to chase someone down for speeding?
Jean Pier

What are you slow? Officers are allowed to exceed speeds or act in order to neutralize a problem. The FHP was doing her job that most cops don’t do.
Jean Pier

Also to ”Really??” I would rather see a cop attempting to stop a disaster from happening then to see a cop do nothing at all. It could happen in both ways. That Miami Dade cop could of injured someone driving that fast. And if thats so much the case then how come I always get pulled over when speeding over 100 mph. Thats bull!!!! Yall cops stick together all the time and thats why your defending him. All this Police brutality and Police running red lights with no emergency lights activated. Its us citizens that are at risk and the only defense we have is our camera phones. We get tickets all the time yall should too when breaking the law. So i guess drug smugglers could smuggle drugs only if they exceed 100 mph.

Police advice

Each time an officer breaks the law, the relation of citizens and police is damaged. If left unchecked the police illegal actions cause the down fall of justice system. Fortunately, it hasn’t happen here yet.

Really???

Btw, for those of you who think there is this “blue code”….not here there isn’t! Maybe up north. Police departments and State Attorneys office’s will fire and burn a police officer in a heartbeat if they are proven to have committed any wrong doing. Times have changed, believe me.
As for you morons who can’t complete one coherent sentence and “wish these officers should die, I suggest you go back to prison and study a bit harder on getting your GED and practice your reading comprehension. Also consider getting some counselling to figure out the root of all this misplaced hate and anger!
Evad Rekcat

Pay attention “Really”

Any car doing 120 mph could possibly kill someone. I’m just saying…………
The following happened in Jacksonville, FL………Officer Marcus Kilpatrick was driving an estimated 98 mph when his patrol car struck the truck driven by Matthew Brice Ogden Jr. on Merrill Road Jan. 14, 2009. Ogden, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown through the passenger window of his vehicle and died at the scene. The road has a posted speed limit of 40 mph and near an elementary school. The Jacksonville traffic cop was speeding after a vehicle with excessive window tint when the officer plowed into a pickup truck, killing an 86-year-old man. The officer did not have his emergency lights and siren turned on also.

tony

I know I can’t drive 100+ mph and get away with it. I would consider over 85 mph as reckless, due to the response time needed to avoid an accident if someone else were to change lanes in front of the speeder..
We all know, these premadonnas are above the laws they are paid to enforce and the laws only apply to us, inferior civilians….
I’m glad she was heads up and took action. I see excessive speed all the time by Sheriff’s cars here. They’re not running lights or siren. Just speeding, because they can, and we buy the fuel!

Jorge garcia

that fhp officer should get a commendation and the Miami police officer driving the patrol car should be fire. We see it everyday patrol cars speeding or waiving in and out of traffic without their emergency lights on and driving wearing civilian clothes.
UckTheFunions

I love it!! Now I wish we the citizens could report these guys. Maybe they need a How Am I Driving Sticker so we can report them!!

B McLaughlin

I saw 3 Ft. Lauderdale police cars drag racing southbound on US1 at 6am; called FLPD to report it; it was a joke. I may as well have called in a “flying saucer” sighting. “Cover up” is the name of the game. Don’t waste your time.
relax

but how would you know if they’re not responding quickly to a call. Not every call to them is lights and siren? We don’t understand the job they do because we don’t do that job, but we all want to be negitive about cops all the time. people like you hate cops until you need one. your comment makes you sound childish.

hateCorruption

how about you shutup because he said it himself he WAS LATE TO AN OFF DUTY NON LIFE THREATENING OR OF ANY IMPORTANCE to the saftey of the public which he is supposed to enforce which he obviously didnt care about. its people like you supporting them why corruption is so deep seeded.

John Gavenas

So….120 mph, endangering lives because he was late to off-duty work in a government vehicle, and released with a citation. TV announcers said the police stated that when finally stopped he was ‘polite’. Any citizen would have been arrested and taken to jail for the same actions. Officer Lopez should be terminated for reckless driving and wanton disregard for public safety. Police Officers are not above the law, although many certainly act on our roadways as if they are.

abootnkiki

but the trooper didnt endanger lives by following him @ 120mph trying to get him to pull over???

Brian

Really? are you saying that if any random person was going 120+, a cop shouldn’t try to pull them over? Gtfo
Steve

aboot: ‘Reflexive stupidity’, fortunately, isn’t contagious.
Freelance

The trooper didn’t even know if it was a cop behind the wheel.
abootnkiki

wonder what happened to my other comment about no more take home police cars would solve or put a dent in this problem……and steve i would answer but my comment would probably be deleted unlike yours

Tom Pernis

Cops arresting cops for speeding. What else is there going to happen? Did the cop run the tags as she was following the first car to see that it was a cop? I guess she was too busy putting on make-up. Classic way to spen taxpayers dollars.

Phil

Wow, idiot of the day. Thanks for the input, dummie. The first cop endangered lives and made the situation worse by going faster and weaving in and out of cars. I hope he’s fired, but we all know he won’t be.

Nina Suli

take his licesnse away…fine him….let his children suffer the way he made my sister’s family suffer when arrested her husband on bogus charges!
citizen

the cops always drive fast on the way home, and there is nothing anyone can do about it they are untouchable!

Ron

Aparently that State Trooper did not get the memo. I sure she will get some retraining from her fellow officers about following the “code”

Paul

As a State Trooper myself, there is no longer any “code” that you speak of. Personally, if I stop another Law Enforcement Officer I am less likely to give them a break than I would a standard citizen because they should know better. Can’t tell you the countless numbers of Drunk Drivers I’ve had handcuffed in my backseat that were off duty police officers. You can’t let them get by with this behavior because it gives all of us a black eye. Kudos to the FHP.
frank stevens

I would like to see FHP just try— to pull me over in a marked car. Better bring back up. Cause i’ll have mine.
Hammmbone

Paul, your holier than thou attitude sucks. You are telling me you’ve never sped or made a mistake??? More apt to write a police officer??? Ever heard of the word discretion??? Being the police isn’t easy!!! Working two jobs isn’t easy!!! God forbid you are working and a perpetrator ever gets the better of you, but if it happens, you’d better hope Officer Lopez is around, cause I guarantee on or off duty he would HELP YOU defeat that offender!!! If he had to drive 100mph to get there, he would!!! Did he make a mistake??? Yes. Use poor judgement??? Of course. Is he a criminal??? Absolutely not!!! Cuffing him and writing him a ticket doesn’t solve anything. All it does is fuel the separation that exists between members of the same profession. Tell her to quit wasting her time with a guy who patrols the streets to keep others safe. She should look for a dope dealer, robber, burglar, or killer. She caught a speeder, now I feel real safe!!!!!!
Jerry

I congratulate the FHP trooper that had the courage and professionalism to stop the off duty police office. he is not above the law and should be submit to the same rules that we taxpayers are obliged under the law. It is acts like this that restore my faith and thrust on the Police.I know that there a lot of officers out ther that perform their duties and risk their lives everyday to protect us , even though there are some bad apples that try to tarnish their work. THANK YOU!

relax

Always? how do you know that for sure. If you had to take your comment to trial, how would you prove your “always” comment? There’s always taxes and death. Not cops drive home fast.
G4JUSTICE

Wrong, they are not untouchable and its getting easier everyday because of THEIR actions

MARIA

I AM A VICTIM OF SUCH…BACK ON 1972 MY HUSBAND WAS KILLED WHILE A SPEEDING METRO COP DROVE SPEEDING THROUGH A PARK MIDWEEK IN THE EVENING AND KILLED HIM INSTANTLY…NO SETTLEMENT WOULD E VER BE ENOUGH TO BRING HIM BACK. HE WAS A GOODMAN…MAY ON THIS UPCOMING ALL SAINTS DAY HE BE REMEMBERED BY ALL THAT LOVED HIM…THIS HAS FOREVER DESTROYED MY RESPECT FOR POLICE OFFICERS THAT THINK THAT THEY ARE GIFTS…SADLY IT MAKES IT BAD FOR THE GOOD ONES.
abootnkiki

i hope no trooper needs back up in the city of miami anytime soon;good luck with that

james

Obey the law… that’s a rule for all of society not excluding you corrupt police officers! Deport him!

relax

corrupt? whats a corrupt officer? James should change his to Jesus. Rule the world james and make it perfect like you. We’ve been waiting….finally you come.

cp

You Jerk. Obey the law. You are a disgrace human beings for such a comment.

abootnkiki

the only way to solve this problem is to have every agency not take home cars and commute to their station just like every working citizen…..no take home cars!!less taxpayer $$$$ on fuel and wear and tear on cars…including troopers,no take home cars!!!! it is a sad day in america when one police officer pulls over another one for speeding
Roger Keith

GREAT JOB FHP! Its about time I am proud of local law enforcement for actually doing their job CORRECTLY. That officer should get a commendation.

To many PD units abuse their take home vehicle privelidges and speed pass the general public all the time. I hope this brings light to the problem and top brass takes corrective measures.

One last note; to all you Police personnel reading this: Take heed and understand that there are people reporting these violations taking down tags and vehicle numbers. Lots of new video gadgets around as well If this isn’t cool for a general citizen it shouldn’t be ok for you in an issued vehicle that is supposed to be better taken care of since its a “take home.”

dpacheco20

Verry well put I just hope that they use there heads and that the brass do something about it and soon.
John Fries

I have a list of observed police violations on my cell phone, that way when I can pulled over going 70 in a 55, I can ask why these vehicles were driving 80, 90 mph on the same road without any emergency warning lights on. It might not get me out of a ticket, but I damn sure will use the list when I stand in front of the judge.

scratchee

I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t think “He did it too” is a workable defense.
Adolfo

GOOOOOOOOOD luck with the judge…… lol
Paul

Your approach is well and good, but as an officer myself, many times when I am on my way to a call, it’s actually safer for me to run without my lights on because of the idiot drivers on the roadway. Being a Highway Patrolman my calls can sometimes require me to run at 100mph+ to get there, if every ordinary citizen would obey the rules of the road there wouldn’t be a problem but half the time they either: 1) refuse to pull over for my emergency lights (this includes both lanes) or 2) panic, and stop right in the driving lane with oncoming traffic in the other lane that refuses to pull over. When I run without my lights, I can navigate the vehicles better because I don’t have the expectation that they will do what they are supposed to when my lights are on. Are there instances where officers abuse their ability to travel faster than the posted speed limit, absolutely, but that doesn’t mean that every individual you encounter is doing that like you are implying.
B McLaughlin

Sounds like an outstanding way to turn a simple speeding ticket into a “contempt of court” jail stay.

Really???

I don’t deny that many police officers “speed” to and from work. But let me ask you this, do you see anyone obeying the speed limit on Miami highways? Sure, some people do. But where the speed limit is 55 on most highways here, the average person is doing 70! Many times on my way home late at night returning from work in a marked police car, I myself had to do 70 just not to feel ridiculous with all the cars speeding by me. And if you’re thinking, “well why don’t you pull them over”….I’ll never make it home! But I will also admit, 70mph on the highway doesn’t seem excessive to me.
relax

i’m an officer and i agree with you. Most officers don’t abuse anything about their jobs. Most take care of all issued equipment and take homes. Majority of cops do more than the very very small few that don’t. Majority of us don’t mind being taped. A matter of fact, keep watching and taping and you’ll see that the majority of us do what’s right and handle things the way they need to be handle while doing a job that the majoirty can’t do nor handle.
frank

get a life !

dpacheco20

I LIKE TO SAY WELL JOB DONE TO THE TROOPER FOR STOPING HIM BEFORE HE COULD HURT SOMEONE ,HOPE THAT THESE SHOWS THE BRASS THAT ALOT OF THERE OFFICERS ARE DOING THE SAME THINGS ON THE STREETS OF DADE COUNTY AND THEY SHOULD TAKE ACTION BEFORE SOMEONE GET HURT OR KILL THE ONE OF THESE OFFICERS ONCE MORE A WELL JOB DONE TO THE TROOPER .

Poontang Pie

Press the button that’s labeled “Caps Lock” (it should be on the left side of your keyboard).

Tony Montana

you must be a city of Miami employee or a city of Miami police, which I doubt the later since you lack of sense make me think otherwise but then again anything is possible in the City of Miami, so FHP should have let the officer alone because he was traveling at 120 mph and follow him it will be breaking the law too, wow either you stupid or you were born premature and you brains didn’t develop at full capacity. I feel sorry for Miami, no wonder they have a Mayor that looks more like a dictator, Police Officer’s that break the law, and Citizen’s that vote for all those people, and you guys get mad when they call that City Banana Republic..

Tony just talk’n from his

Tony your not too bright yourself kid. There’s no way the officer was doing 120. Maybe 100…maybe. if that officer was doing 120 then the trooper would have to do 140+ to make gain……of course assuming the trooper was doing the SPEED LIMIT. And if she was (and she probably wasn’t) from 60 mph to catch a moving 120 mph vehicle she would have to do 140+. Don’t believe me? do the math…I did……since your so quick to call someone stupid.

GOKIN

IF “HIS” CUBAN?…LEARN HOW TO SPELL, THEY SHOULD SEND YOU BACK TO WHATEVER COUNTRY “YOU’RE” FROM.
joe

As a professional law enforcement officer proudly servicing the South Florida community for the past 27 years, I am still astonished by the behavior exhibited by a minority of the law enforcement community. Unfortunately, each department’s professional compliance section that monitors this type of behavior still refuses to acknowledge that this type of behavior is not uncommon, must not be tolerated and dealt with in a swift manner before the public losses all trust for law enforcement. Additionally, the individual who posted that “FHP had better not expect assistance while in the City Of Miami”, I truly hope that you are not a law enforcement officer in the City Of Miami Police Department and if you are, hopefully you will reconsider your brazen statement and quietly leave law enforcement.

hateCorruption

well said

eric

i was a firefighter for several years and know for a fact it is illegal for the police to exceed the speed limit just like everyone else. the only exception is when they get certain calls and even then there are restrictions. what this cop did was not only extremely hazardous for anyone around him, but st definitely illegal. 50 plus mph over the limit is a jailable offense so how is this guy not in jail, even more scarer… how is this guy still a police officer? i used to video BSO and PBSO speeding, it came in helpful when PBSO set up a speed trap out in front of our neighborhood. i sent a few clips to the sheriff’s secretary and said i’d send that and a whole lot more to the local news stations if the speed trap wasn’t gone within 24 hours. never saw them their again. use your phones and take video, shoot your speedometer and the speeding vehicle without cutting away. get several minutes of video showin the tag, car number, and even he driver if possible. be sure to note the day and time so it can be traced back to a specific driver and repeat when you see another one speeding. send the clps to the sherrif, police chief, and local news stations and this will all stop.

relax

Dont forget to tell them to have their certifications handy. You must be cerified like officers otherwise it’s all for not. the equipment used must be to state standard. cops can’t use their phones to id people or use gps to make a traffic stop to write a ticket. it wouldn’t stand in court. those things can be altered. a citizen using non certified equipment won’t mean much either. noticed how he said WAS a fire fighter for only several years. Was, shoudl we ask why he’s not now or is it obvious?

Jim

Relax, your a trolling fool and you need to relax. Its obvious your a sociopath and your scared that that the blue wall will crumble and the good cops will come and get you. They will..

Maybe the firefighter is disabled like me…
I am a disabled former federal law enforcement officer. I did my time even though it wasn’t long enough for me.

Can Say No

About time, they do it all the time!
speedkills

what some people who post in favor of hispanics fail to mention that miami is no longer part of america, it is now considered south america. All cops are law breakers just follow one for a mile or so. Cops are the worst traffic offenders. The fhp trooper should have shot the miami cop for speeding, and ask questions later.
Mike

“send him back” You should be deported for not knowing how to write!
paquito

it is haapen all the time with this corrup cops where is the law? hello
james

Another example of Cubans coming to America and making there own rules. Congradulations to the FHP officer for detaining this corrupt officer. Thank God someone is looking out for the common man because MIami police are getting worse. The entire city has been corrupted by these cuban immigrants from Medicare fraud to cronyism in government.

Hammmbone

James you sound real stupid right about now!!!! Assuming that the PO is Cuban because his last name is Lopez is downright prejudice. Were you wearing a white sheet when you wrote that??? Corruption exists in all levels of government and doesn’t have color you moron!!!! Before there were Cubans in Florida, corruption was everywhere!!!! Didn’t the Bush’s steal the Presidency there??? Wake up and smell the cafe, Latinos are everywhere!!!!

Jen

your comment is a perfect example of how some people in the Police Department try to work law enforcement like organized crime of intimidation and favors. thankfully most people in law enforcement would disagree with you; none of us are above the law.
Richard

we appreciate the article because its very important that all taxpayers are treated equally when they break the law. we expect a quick turnaround time for reporting the news; I wonder why it took over two weeks to determine if this was newsworthy; beware of special treatment.

Jason

The state trooper took steps in the right direction, but they’re hardly able to be considered equal to what would happen if this were a regular ol’ person she was trying to pull over. If I tried to keep driving 120 + with an officer behind me trying to pull me over I would end up being thrown to the ground with a gun pressed against the back of my head. Probably a few knees driven into my spine, too.
tax payer?

WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP TALKING ABOUT BEING A TAX PAYER? PEOPLE SAY LIKE THEY SIGNED UP FOR IT. IT’S NOT A CHOICE! YOU HAVE TO PAY. YOU DON’T HAVE ANY SAY SO AND WHAT YOU PAY NOR HOW MUCH. YOUR TOLD TO PAY. PEOPLE SAY I’M A TAX PAYER LIKE THAT MAKES THEM SPECIAL. IT’S JUST ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING I’M BEING FINACIALLY RAPPED BY MY GOVN.T PAYING TAXES DOESN’T PUT YOU IN FRONT OF ANY LINE. WHY DO PEOPLE SAY I’M A TAX PAYER. OTHER THAN YOU BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN.

joesr

Why wasn’t he charged with fleeing? Any of the rest of us would have been. He should be fired and prosecuted.
@abootnkiki…What is the matter with you? Letting him go only to have this jerkwad kill someone on another 120 mph run is a better idea? You would feel differently if it was a family member of yours hurt by this clown. You can’t see that?
Ihatestupidracistpeople

Did you’re ancestry not arrive here in a boat and took over land that was not theirs, you hick? Are you a Seminole or another type of native individual from South Florida? Then don’t display how much of a hillbilly racist redneck you are. Go and tie down your trailer before the next tornado hits!