Miami-Dade Officer Fired at Suspect but Missed

KENDALL, FL — A Miami-Dade police officer fired at a suspect who pointed a gun at him and another officer on Friday but missed.

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Police are still looking for the suspect.

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The suspect was described as African-American, 25 to 35 years old, heavy build, 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall with short hair. He was wearing a light shirt and dark pants.

The incident occurred in the area of SW 76 Avenue and SW 80 Street at about 2:15 a.m. on Friday.

Detective Marjorie Eloi of the Miami-Dade Police Department said that the suspect drove passed the two officers at a high rate of speed in a late model silver Toyota Camry as they were conducting a traffic stop on US Route 1 south of SW 80 Street.

"The officers proceeded to get behind the silver vehicle to conduct a traffic stop," according to Eloi. "The vehicle was advised to pull into a shopping center on SW 80 Street and US 1, when it then fled westbound from police."

She said that the officers later found the Camry crashed into a chain link fence at SW 76 Street and SW 80 Street along a southbound swale of the Palmetto Expressway.

"As the officers approached the crashed vehicle to inspect it, the driver exited and began running southbound," she said. "The officers ran after the fleeing subject, who was armed with a firearm and pointed it at the officers."

Eloi did not say which officer fired at the suspect.

"One of two officers discharged his weapon," Eloi said. "The subject continued running westbound across the Palmetto Expressway."

She said that police used helicopters and K-9 units to search for the suspect, who was not found.

North and southbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway were temporarily shut down, but have since reopened.

Eloi said that the officers were not injured. One of the officers has four years experience on the force while the other has one year.