MIAMI – The Miami Beach Police Department is praising the courage of a detective who arrested the wrong-way driver of a slingshot vehicle near Palm Island.
A tourist was driving recklessly against the busy Sunday afternoon traffic of the MacArthur Causeway, according to Officer Ernesto Rodriguez, a spokesman for the police department.
“This Officer was by himself just outside our jurisdiction and didn’t hesitate to act. He jeopardized his safety for the safety of others,” Rodriguez wrote.
There was a crash with injuries during the police pursuit and the suspect resisted arrest, according to the arrest form. Officers identified the tourist as Hesham Nabil Shala, of Lexington, Kentucky, and said he was driving eastbound to South Beach on the causeway’s westbound lanes.
Once the detective caught up to him, Shala told the detective, “You are going to regret this!” and “Get the [expletive] back in your car!” and he took a fighting stance, according to the arrest form. The detective deployed his dart-firing stun gun.
“The defendant ripped the darts from his body and continued to disregard the lawful orders and display aggressive and erratic behavior,” the detective wrote in the report.
After firing the dart-firing stun gun for the second time, the detective was able to arrest Shala, who is facing charges of resisting arrest and reckless driving.
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Wilson Louis contributed to this report.