A traffic stop in West Miami turned into a reckless chase that ended with a truck smashed near railroad tracks off Northwest 12th Street, after police say the driver nearly struck an officer while trying to get away. The suspect was taken into custody once the pursuit ended, according to West Miami police, though officers have not released the driver's identity or the specific charges filed.
Traffic Stop Turns Into Pursuit
West Miami police tried to pull the driver over, but he fled during the stop, according to NBC 6 South Florida. Police say the suspect drove recklessly as he led officers on a chase through the small municipality, at one point nearly striking an officer with the vehicle. The pursuit ended when the driver crashed his truck near railroad tracks off Northwest 12th Street, per the station's report.
The driver reportedly had an active warrant out of Polk County for grand theft, according to police records cited in the same report. Investigators have not said how long the warrant had been outstanding or what led officers to attempt the initial stop. The investigation remains active, and police have not released the suspect's name or the formal charges he now faces.
What Florida Law Says About Fleeing and Nearly Striking an Officer
Under Florida Statute § 316.1935, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer in a marked patrol vehicle with activated lights and sirens is a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison, and that charge escalates to a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years if the fleeing is reckless or done at high speed. Florida law also bars withholding adjudication on fleeing charges, meaning a conviction leaves a mandatory felony record.
Separately, under Florida Statute § 784.07, an aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer — including nearly striking one with a vehicle — is reclassified to a second-degree felony that carries a three-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. The active Polk County warrant for grand theft also carries its own weight under Florida Statute § 812.014, which classifies motor vehicle theft as grand theft regardless of the vehicle's value, and treats stolen property worth between $750 and $20,000 as a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years.
A Nonprofit-Branded Truck at the Crash Scene
Scene video showed the wrecked vehicle appeared to be a truck branded for Mercury One, a nonprofit founded in 2011 by media personality Glenn Beck that focuses on disaster relief, human trafficking rescue, veteran support and historic preservation. NBC 6 reported it reached out to the organization for comment, but as of publication, no response had been received. Mercury One describes itself as committed to providing humanitarian aid, preserving heritage, and empowering people to stand for truth, and it partners with ministries and nonprofits around the globe as part of that mission.
How the suspect came to be driving a vehicle affiliated with the Texas-based charity remains unclear, and that detail is among the open questions in this case. Mercury One operates primarily out of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and, as Hoodline previously reported on its Texas expansion, leased a 172,089-square-foot office building in Las Colinas in May to house its American Journey Experience museum and research library.
Part of a Rough Week for Miami-Dade Pursuits
The West Miami crash comes just two days after a separate fatal pursuit in Miami-Dade's Brownsville neighborhood, where a driver with an active warrant fled a traffic stop and caused a crash that killed a civilian motorist, an incident that also involved an unmarked police cruiser. That case underscores a pattern this week of high-risk chases triggered by drivers with outstanding warrants trying to avoid arrest on Miami-Dade roads.
West Miami itself spans roughly 0.7 square miles and is home to about 7,233 residents as of the 2020 U.S. Census, making it one of the smallest and most densely packed municipalities in Miami-Dade County, tucked between Miami's Flagami neighborhood, Coral Gables, and Coral Terrace. In a municipality that compact, a reckless chase carries outsized risk for residents and drivers alike. Miami-Dade recorded 55,530 motor vehicle collisions countywide in 2025, including 255 fatal crashes and 271 traffic deaths, a decline of more than 7 percent from the 59,994 collisions logged in 2024.
No further details on the suspect's identity or the formal charges he faces had been released as of publication, and the investigation into the West Miami chase remains ongoing.
