MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A police officer was killed in a crash Tuesday afternoon in southwest Miami-Dade County.
Officer Jorge Sanchez -- who had served with Miami police for 21 years -- was on his motorcycle headed to work Tuesday when he was killed in the crash.
Miami-Dade police were called to a crash Tuesday that involved an officer and shut down Southwest Eighth Street at 137th Avenue.
Sky 10 was following an ambulance that was being escorted by four police officers on motorcycles. The ambulance was carrying the body of Sanchez.
Multiple other vehicles were involved in the crash, including a white car that was turned on its side.
"What I can tell you is he was traveling southbound, stopped at the intersection of 137th and Eighth Street. He was rear-ended by an SUV," Trooper Joe Sanchez said. "That impact forced him forward."
The impact caused a chain-reaction crash that involved about a half-dozen vehicles.
All eastbound and westbound lanes of Eighth Street were closed at the intersection for several hours.
Witnesses told Local 10 News reporter Liane Morejon that the officer was stopped at a red light when another vehicle came speeding through and struck him. They said at least eight vehicles were hit.
"It was scary because there were just so many cars everywhere. It looked like a bomb had gone off or something," Andrew Fanton said.
Fanton said he helped some of the victims get out of their vehicles.
"I was in the car behind the pickup truck," Fanton said. "I was coming up to the intersection, getting ready to make a left-hand turn, and I saw this white car tumbling in the air through the intersection, and it hit the ground (and) smashed into the blue car. There was white smoke everywhere."
A man who was working in the area told Morejon that he heard the crash and ran to the officer's side, who was lying in the street.
"I heard the screeching and I heard the actual impact, and right when I heard it, I ran as fast as I can. When I looked, I saw that he had a uniform on and it was a Miami police officer," Alberto Lugo said. "So I looked at him and he had blood gushing out of his helmet. Immediately, the only thing I could do was the only thing I know how to do. I put my hand behind his back. I didn't want to touch him around his body. But I put my hand behind his back and actually prayed."
While Sky 10 was above the crash scene, two women and a man were seen being placed onto stretchers.
Several others sat on the median as they were being treated by paramedics.
Authorities said 12 people were injured, five of whom were taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center's trauma center.
Local 10 News reporter Michael Seiden was at the hospital after the crash and said about two dozen police officers were seen walking into the emergency room, where the injured officer was among the patients being treated.
Authorities haven't confirmed what led up to the crash or who was at fault.
Sanchez is survived by his mother, ex-wife, fiancée and three children, one of whom is an officer with the Miami Police Department.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating