MIAMI – A 54-year-old man has been arrested after he tried to leave the scene of a crash that injured three Miami police officers and then pretended to be a passenger in the car, police said.
Hector Guzman faces charges of driving with a suspended license causing serious bodily injury or death.
The hit-and-run crash occurred Sunday night on Northwest 11th Street near Northwest 11th Court in Miami's Spring Garden neighborhood.
Miami police Officer Freddie Cruz said officers were interviewing the victim of a stolen vehicle when a Kia Soul traveling east on Northwest 11th Street slammed into a police cruiser and then struck two officers who were outside.
The crash also injured an officer who was inside the patrol car, as well as the victim of the stolen vehicle.
"This could have easily turned very tragic for our officers," Cruz said.
All three officers were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
"Two since have been released from the hospital," Cruz said. "One is still in stable condition. However, he did sustain some very serious injuries and he will be in the hospital for a couple of days."
The officer remains in the hospital with several fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and a lacerated liver.
According to an arrest affidavit, Guzman was the driver of the Kia Soul.
“The person pretended to be the passenger,” Cruz said. “However, this person was the only person in the vehicle.”
According to the affidavit, Guzman had his driver’s license suspended in 2013 for being a habitual traffic offender.
Guzman’s wife was also arrested. According to a police report, Jacqueline Perez, 43, allowed Guzman to drive her car knowing that he didn’t have a valid license.