A thrilling high-speed chase unfolded in Miami Beach, Florida, when an SUV overturned and burst into flames on Interstate 195. The dramatic incident occurred on Sunday night following a successful PIT maneuver by the police.
The Miami-Dade Police Department reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol for help in stopping a stolen black SUV. The request came after the SUV was sighted in the vicinity of State Road 112 and Northwest 12th Avenue around 7:30 p.m.
Savalas Cigar, 31, tried to escape by heading southbound on Alton Road, which led to a police chase.
According to an arrest report, FHP troopers initially tried to stop the vehicle by using a PIT maneuver at the intersection of Alton Road and West 42nd Street. However, the SUV managed to regain traction and continued to flee at a high speed.
Police reported that Cigar was driving recklessly and refusing to stop. FHP troopers decided to perform a second PIT maneuver on the Alton Road ramp that leads to the Julia Tuttle Causeway. As a result of the maneuver, the SUV lost control and flipped over, finally coming to a stop on its right side.
FHP troopers and MDPD officers approached the scene as smoke started to rise from the overturned vehicle. They immediately recognized that the situation was becoming more intense.
Miami-Dade police took Cigar into custody after he got out of the vehicle, according to an arrest report.
After sustaining non-life-threatening injuries, he was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Subsequently, he was taken into custody.
According to jail records, Cigar is being charged with grand theft of a vehicle, attempting to flee or elude police officers while causing injury or damage during a crash, and driving without a license.
He is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with his bond set at $11,000.