MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami Gardens police arrested a man accused of dragging an officer with his Jeep Cherokee, then leading a chase that included him driving the wrong way on Interstate 95, causing a crash.
Police on Friday charged 40-year-old Thomas Eagan with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding, and grand theft.
According to Miami Gardens police, it all started when one of their officers pulled over Thoman Eagan, a man with a rap sheet that goes back decades.
This time, they say he was in the stolen Jeep, and when the officer tried talking to him about it, Eagan took off, dragging the officer through a parking lot near the Palmetto Expressway and 27th Avenue.
That is a forcible felony and a justified reason to pursue, according to Miami Gardens police pursuit policy. But they say that chase ended when Eagan started speeding northbound in a southbound I-95 express lane.
Florida Highway Patrol says Eagan then approached a motorcycle head-on. As the two got closer, both tried to get out of the way, eventually causing a crash that injured a motorcyclist, police said.
This all happened at the Northwest 135th Street exit. That's where police say Eagan exited I-95 and officers who were in the area caught up with him and arrested him.
Eagan faces charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding arrest and grand theft auto.