MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A suspect accused of leading police on a high-speed chase in Miami-Dade County in August was re-arrested Thursday after removing his ankle monitor, authorities confirmed.
Jail records show Savalas Cigar, 46, faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, grand theft of a vehicle and fleeing/eluding police after an accident.
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According to authorities, the chase came to an end the night of Aug. 11 on the Julia Tuttle Causeway when the stolen SUV Cigar was driving overturned and then caught fire following a PIT maneuver.
Authorities said the incident occurred after 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.
Police said a chase ensued after Cigar 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 allegedly 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 SUV 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, authorities said.
Once out of the vehicle, Cigar was placed into custody by Miami-Dade police, an arrest report states. He was hospitalized before being taken to jail.
As of Friday morning, Cigar was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.