A City of Miami Police officer is facing DUI and criminal mischief charges following his arrest in Miami Beach, officials said Thursday.
Officer Christopher Vital, 29, was arrested just before 5 a.m., Miami Beach Police said. He also faces a charge of possession of narcotics and driving with a suspended license.
Vital was being held on $14,000 bond Thursday, jail records showed. It was unknown whether he has an attorney.
Miami Police Maj. Delrish Moss said Vital was relieved of duties without pay pending his termination, in a statement released Thursday.
"The Miami Police Department frowns upon the behaviors alleged in the arrest of Christopher Vital. As a member of law enforcement, Mr. Vital is held to a high standard and he is now the subject of an internal administrative investigation," Moss said. "The American judicial system affords everyone the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and Mr. Vital is no different; however, the Miami Police will exercise its right to take appropriate actions based on the administrative findings. This holds true even if he is found not guilty in a criminal proceeding."
According to an arrest report, an officer spotted Vital in a blue BMW on the MacArthur Causeway. A police sergeant followed the car as it reached speeds of up to 100 mph before it was stopped, the report said.
Officers observed Vital, who told them he was taking medication for depression, had signs of impairment, with bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol on his breath, the report said. He was also unstable on his feet and his behavior was erratic, the report said.
A records check revealed Vital had a suspended license and there was a seize tag order on his car, the report said.
When the officers looked in Vital's car, they saw a plastic pill container in plain view on the driver's side seat with marijuana inside, the report said. They also found a back pack that contained several plastic baggies containing heroin and cocaine, the report said.
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As Vital was being taken to a holding facility, he started banging his head on the police cruiser's partition, the report said.
"I'm going to blame you for the injuries on my head, I'm going to say you did this to me, and I'm going to hunt you down, you and your family, I'm gonna have your job," Vital told the officer, according to the report.
The criminal mischief charge was for kicking out the rear glass window of the police cruiser after he was taken into custody, police said.
Records showed Vital was arrested for disorderly intoxication at Sunlife Stadium in November 2013. He was referred to an advocate program that he completed, records showed.
Vital was also featured in a December 2012 NBC 6 story about extra patrols on the streets during the holidays.
Check back with NBC 6 South Florida and NBC6.com for updates.
