MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A high-speed chase through Miami-Dade County ended dramatically on Interstate 195 in Miami Beach Sunday night when police said an SUV overturned and caught fire following a PIT maneuver.
Authorities said the incident occurred when the Miami-Dade Police Department requested assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol to stop a stolen black SUV that had been spotted near State Road 112 and Northwest 12th Avenue just after 7:30 p.m.
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Police said a chase ensued after Savalas Cigar, 31, attempted to flee southbound on Alton Road.
FHP troopers made an initial attempt to stop the vehicle using a PIT maneuver at the intersection of Alton Road and West 42nd Street, but the SUV regained traction and continued to speed away, according to an arrest report.
With Cigar driving erratically and showing no signs of stopping, police said FHP troopers executed a second PIT maneuver on the Alton Road ramp leading to the Julia Tuttle Causeway, where the SUV lost control and overturned, coming to a rest on its right side.
As smoke began to billow from the overturned vehicle, FHP troopers and MDPD officers approached the scene and quickly realized that the situation was escalating.
They said flames were seen forming near the front of the SUV, and were concerned that the vehicle could become fully engulfed and become a potential death trap.
Using a window breaker, police said they shattered the sunroof and pulled Cigar from the SUV, which was already beginning to burn.
Cigar, who was unresponsive at the time, was pulled out of the vehicle shortly before it erupted in flames.
Once out of the vehicle, Cigar was placed into custody by Miami-Dade police, an arrest report states.
He was then transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue with non-life-threatening injuries before being taken into custody.
Jail records show Cigar is facing one count each of grand theft of a vehicle and attempting to flee or elude police officers while causing injury or damage during a crash. He also faces an additional charge of driving without a license.
As of Monday, he is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was set at $11,000.