What started as a sunset scare on the sand ended with twisted metal on the Hallandale Beach strip and a suspect in handcuffs Thursday night, after Hollywood police chased down a man they say opened fire on the beach and then tried to outrun officers. Police said no one was hit in the gunfire.
Beach confrontation, police say
Hollywood police spokeswoman Deanna Bettineschi identified the driver as 30-year-old Tyrell Anton Thomas. She said the trouble kicked off around 7 p.m. on the sand near Douglas Street, where Thomas allegedly grabbed a gun from his vehicle, headed back onto the beach and fired at two people. According to Bettineschi, the would-be victims were not struck, and Thomas later threatened a third person, as reported by Local10.
High-speed turn ended with crash
Officers later spotted the vehicle and moved in, but police say the driver refused to stop. Witnesses described a botched, high-speed turn onto Hallandale Beach Boulevard that sent the car over the median and into other vehicles. One witness told reporters, "He made the turn going probably over 50 miles an hour, and the car didn’t turn. It jumped over the median and hit those cars." The driver ultimately crashed near South Ocean Drive and Hallandale Beach Boulevard and was taken into custody after a short foot chase, according to Local10.
Charges and custody
Police say Thomas now faces a long list of charges, including attempted murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, wearing a mask during the commission of a felony, fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of a crash and resisting arrest. As of Friday morning, he was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail. Felony cases in Hollywood are typically forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for review, per the Hollywood Police Department, and custody information is publicly searchable via the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
