Miami Officer Hurt In Crash On Christmas Day
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A City of Miami police officer is recovering from injuries suffered after crashing during a chase.
Cell phone video captured the chaotic scene on Christmas Day.
City of Miami Police say the chase began at NW 4 Avenue and 54th Street when a guy on a four-wheeler slammed into the cruiser and took off. The officer pursued the driver and he ended up slamming into a tree at NW 59th St. and 5th Avenue.
"Police officer down! Police officer down! They got a big chase going on here! I mean a big chase!" said the person shooting the cell phone video as he captured the scene.
That officer ended up being rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital with back injuries, according to police.
People who live nearby say they heard a loud crash as the officer slammed into the tree.
"I'm sitting at home watching the Heat game and I heard a crash," said Leroy McLoud, who lives nearby. "It was very strong. I could hear it all the way in the house."
Another neighbor said as he was driving home he saw a guy on an ATV pull out of a yard and he was moving fast.
"He was flying. I was going down 5th toward 54th and he came flying around past me. Whoosh! I thought he might have gotten a new ATV for Christmas," said nearby resident Mark Prater.
Friday night, police were still searching for the driver of the four-wheeler. The officer received non life-threatening injuries and was released from the hospital.
