MIAMI – Police officers arrested a colleague who was passed out drunk in a car with a gun on his lap on Tuesday morning in Miami-Dade County.
A police officer with the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department found Joevanih Sauvagere, an officer with the Miami Police Department, passed out behind the wheel of an Infiniti, according to an arrest report released on Wednesday.
The school officer banged on Sauvagere’s window to try and get his attention after loud music was heard coming from his parked car, the report stated.
Sauvagere, 31, had a gun on his lap, a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, droopy eyelids, and slurred speech when police officers found him at the intersection of Northwest Sixth Avenue and 62 Street, according to the arrest report.
After refusing to perform a field sobriety test, police said Sauvgere asked to be transported to the hospital because he wasn’t feeling well.
When a police officer asked Sauvagere to put his car in park, he put it in reverse, which moved the car two feet back, according to the report. Sauvagere, who dozed in and out of consciousness, refused sobriety tests and requested medical attention, according to police.
Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales shared his thoughts with Local 10 News following the arrest of one of his own officers:
“We are not above the law and the Miami Police Department will hold all its members, from me, on down to the most rookie officer, to the highest of standards,” he said.
Local 10 News reporter Layron Livingston went to Sauvagere’s house where he was met by a woman who didn’t have much to say about his arrest.
“Is Joevanih here? Are you able to speak on his behalf?” asked Livingston.
“Just get away from our house. Just go,” the woman responded.
Morales told Local 10 News that his department is investigating whether the gun found on Sauvagere’s lap was his service or personal weapon.
He also said that Sauvagere has been relieved of duty with pay while his case is being investigated.
“Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of officers that have gone down this path. It’s the type of behavior that’s a little self-destructive,” said Morales. “We don’t know what Officer Sauvagere is dealing with, but we definitely are cognizant that his behavior is unacceptable — and he placed his life at risk.”
Morales said Sauvagere has been with the department since 2017 and has had no major previous disciplinary actions.
According to jail records, he was released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $1,000 bond.