Dramatic Body Cam Footage Shows Miami Beach Police Officer Hit By Car

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Newly released Miami Beach Police Department body cam video shows the moment Officer David Cajuso was jogging.

He was then hit by a Black BMW.

This was a Sunday evening in October of 2017. Cajuso's body camera captured the impact and officers rushing to his side.

"Hold on, hold on, stay," officers told him.

It happened along 12th Street and Washington Avenue. Cell phone video captured Officer Michael Angulo shooting at the same Black BMW.

Shortly after, Officer Cajuso was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Since then, the officer has returned to full duty.

In an interview with investigators, Cajuso told them what he did to make sure he could continue to wear his badge.

"I had no choice but to jump so the vehicle didn't hit my knees, possibly break my legs and be seriously injured. And I braced the impact with my left shoulder, at which point I rolled over the hood and after that I don't remember," Cajuso told investigators.

Investigators said 22-year-old Cariann Hithon was shot and killed after hitting Officer Cajuso.

Investigators released surveillance video of Hithon and a friend leaving Carlyle Cafe on Ocean Drive.

Traffic cameras captured her struggling leaving her parking space, swerving, speeding, and crashing into a pickup truck. A driver whose vehicle was struck called for help as video shows Hithon leaving the scene after a crash.

"We just got into a car accident. He drove right through the stop sign," the caller told 911.

After that, pictures show Hithon's passenger, Ryan Lucas, getting out at some point.

He told investigators they were in Miami from Maryland to celebrate Hithon's birthday.

They were expected to be on the beach for a week.

Sources tell CBS4 News Hithon had a .179 blood alcohol level, which is more than the legal limit.

CBS4 News spoke to Cary Hithon over the phone Tuesday night. He believes his daughter panicked because of the large crowd.

The driver's father said it was unusual that officers reacted the way they did.

Today, he is still waiting for all the investigations to be complete.

He said he and his family are "functioning" following his daughter's death. They're leaning on their faith to help them keep going day to day.

The passenger in the black BMW wasn't charged. As for the officer who fired his gun, he is back on full duty as a K-9 handler.

Miami Beach Police Department has now opened an internal affairs investigation now the State Attorney's Office has closed its case.