MIAMI – A driver fleeing police crashed in Little Havana Thursday morning, officials said.
According to police, the white van had been reported stolen and Miami-Dade officers tried to pull the driver over near Northwest 42nd Avenue, but she fled.
Police broke off following the vehicle on the ground and began tracking the van with a helicopter.
That’s when officers say the woman behind the wheel turned south, driving the wrong way on Northwest 27th Avenue. She collided head-on with a sedan, carrying an Uber passenger, then crashed into a building near Northwest First Street.
The Uber driver and passenger were both hurt. The driver is stable, while the passenger, in the back seat, was ejected from the vehicle and taken to a nearby hospital in serious condition.
The driver of the van was pinned inside the vehicle and had to be removed by first responders.
Officials said she was in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon.
Police said they found drugs in the van.
“It, perhaps, could have been the fact why this individual decided to flee,” Miami-Dade police detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. “Not only were they in a stolen vehicle, but at the same time perhaps they were involved in other illegal activities.”
Miami police have been looking for a similar van with a woman behind the wheel in connection to several area burglaries. They’re now looking to see if the suspect is the same woman involved.