On Monday, authorities were investigating an accident where three people were injured when a Miami Beach police officer lost control of his department-issued all-terrain vehicle.
Miami Beach Police said Officer Derick Kuilan, who has been with the department for five years, was the on-duty officer who lost control of his ATV around 5 a.m. Sunday and ran into two people on the beach.
Miami Beach Police said that in violation of department policy, Adelee Sharie Martin, 27, was also on the ATV and was thrown from it in the accident. Martin was treated for minor injuries and released.
Kitzie Nicantor, 28, from the state of Washington, and Luis Almonte, 29, from North Miami, were also injured, police said. Both were listed in stable condition.
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The officer was at South Beach's The Clevelander Hotel, met a girl there and took her on a ride on the ATV, said Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower on Monday.
Bower called for a full investigation into the incident, and she also said a second officer, who was supposed to be patrolling the mid-beach area on an ATV, was also at the bar. It wasn't clear what that officer was doing.
Police said the second officer is under investigation but not directly involved in the accident.
Bower said the officers were suspected of drinking. Meanwhile, Miami Beach Police told NBC Miami that they were awaiting blood alcohol test results from the two officers.
"On my orders the officer was immediately relieved of duty pending the results of the various investigations,” Police Chief Carlos Noriega said in a statement.
“Should the investigations determine that the officer involved in this accident failed to follow existing policies and/or procedures then I will take swift and firm action. The safety and well being of our residents and visitors is the Miami Beach Police Department’s primary mission," Noriega said.
The Miami Beach Police Department and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office are investigating.
