A suspect was hospitalized after police say he was shot by an officer during an attempted traffic stop in northwest Miami-Dade late Sunday night.
Miami-Dade Police said an officer was driving home on I-75 around 11 p.m. when he noticed two vehicles traveling above the speed limit, and he managed to pull one of the cars over near the Miami Gardens Drive exit.
During the traffic stop, one of the suspects slowed down and drove straight at the officer, police said. The officer opened fire, hitting the suspect, police said. The suspect lost control of his car and crashed into a ditch.
The suspect, a 23-year-old man, was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center where he was undergoing surgery. The officer, a 26-year veteran who works at the airport district, wasn't injured.
"The officer was traveling home after completing his shift. All of the officers are never off, especially if something is happening in their presence," Miami-Dade Police spokesman Det. Alvaro Zabaleta said. "In this case, we had two vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed, we had other citizens in danger."
The incident is under investigation.
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