A 72-year-old man is facing multiple charges after deputies say he crashed his van into a stopped Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office cruiser and then tried to hide an open container of alcohol by tossing it onto the floor of his vehicle. The crash happened near Northwest 32nd Avenue and 79th Street in northwest Miami-Dade, and it was all caught on dashcam video.
Authorities identified the driver as Pedro Gonzalez, according to WSVN 7News, which obtained the dashcam footage showing the moment Gonzalez's van struck the stationary patrol vehicle. An arrest report cited by the station says Gonzalez attempted to hide the alcoholic container by throwing it onto the floor of his van after the crash. The station also reports that an ambulance arrived at the scene shortly afterward, though no injuries were reported in the collision.
Deputy Cut Sobriety Tests Short Over Safety Concerns
Per the station's account of the arrest form, Gonzalez had bloodshot eyes and wobbled while trying to walk after getting out of the vehicle. Deputies ultimately terminated field sobriety exercises for his safety rather than completing them, the report notes. Gonzalez now faces charges including driving under the influence, DUI damage to property, and driving with a suspended license, per the same arrest documentation.
A witness who saw the crash happen described the moment with disbelief, saying, “Wow! He just hit the cop car,” and adding, “And out of all the things to hit, a police car.” The same witness told the station that the driver threw a bottle away and could barely walk because he was drunk.
What Florida Law Says About Hitting a Stopped Cruiser
Florida's Move Over Law, codified at F.S. 316.126, requires drivers approaching a stopped law enforcement vehicle with its emergency lights active to either change lanes or slow to 20 mph below the posted speed limit, according to The Ticket Clinic. Violations of that law alone are non-criminal traffic infractions carrying fines up to $500 and three points on a license. But Gonzalez's case goes well beyond a move-over citation given the DUI allegations.
Driving under the influence resulting in property damage is a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida Statute 316.193(3)(c)1, according to Flynn Law, which notes a conviction can carry up to 12 months in jail, a $1,000 fine, a year of probation, 50 hours of community service, and a license revocation of six to 12 months. Separately, operating a vehicle while knowingly driving on a suspended or revoked license is a second-degree misdemeanor under Florida Statute 322.34(2), John Vernon Moore explains, with first-time convictions carrying up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine — penalties that escalate for repeat offenders.
Open Container Allegation Could Bolster DUI Case
The alleged discarding of an open container carries its own legal weight. Florida Statute 316.1936 bars drivers and passengers from possessing open alcohol containers in a vehicle's passenger area, creating a presumption the container belongs to the driver unless it's secured in a locked compartment, per The Sombathy Law Firm. While possessing an open container is itself only a non-criminal traffic violation, the firm notes that officers spotting or recovering one gives them immediate grounds to expand a stop into a full DUI investigation.
The crash comes amid broader scrutiny of Move Over Law enforcement statewide. Preliminary data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shows 175 Move Over-related crashes in 2025, down from 205 crashes and more than 17,500 citations issued in 2024, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. State safety analyses cited by the station indicate drivers between 20 and 29 are the age group most frequently cited for failing to move over or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles — a notable contrast to Gonzalez's age of 72.
Agency Still Adjusting to Its New Structure
The cruiser Gonzalez allegedly hit belongs to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, which officially re-established itself as an independent, constitutionally elected agency in January 2025 under Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, as Hoodline previously reported. That shift ended nearly six decades in which local law enforcement operated as the county-administered Miami-Dade Police Department.
If Gonzalez has no prior criminal record, he could potentially be eligible for Back on Track, a court diversion program run by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office that allows qualifying first-time DUI defendants who complete substance counseling and community service to have their charge reduced to reckless driving with a withhold of adjudication, according to the Office of the Miami-Dade State Attorney. It remains to be seen whether Gonzalez will pursue or qualify for that path as his case moves through the courts.
This is not the only recent case in which an impaired driver has collided with an occupied or stationary patrol vehicle. In September, a DUI suspect in San Diego drove the wrong way and crashed head-on into an active San Diego Police Department cruiser, causing it to roll over multiple times and leaving the officer with minor injuries. And in Nashville last year, an impaired driver struck a Metro Nashville Police Department cruiser on Gallatin Pike before trying to flee on foot, resulting in DUI and resisting arrest charges.
