Brian Hamacher

Miami-Dade Police Officer Charged With Vehicular Homicide in Fatal On-Duty Crash

A Miami-Dade Police officer is facing a vehicular homicide charge in a March crash that killed another motorist, officials said Wednesday.

Officer John Young Song, a three-year veteran of the department, was charged in the March 6 crash that killed 45-year-old Emilio Jesus Vizcaino, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office said in a news release.

The crash happened around 1:30 a.m. in a rural area of southwest Miami-Dade at the intersection of Southwest 260th Street and Southwest 147th Avenue. Song was on duty and driving a marked police car at the time, officials said.

Homicide investigators determined Song disregarded a stop sign and entered the intersection going 80 miles per hour when he collided with the car Vizcaino was driving. There was no evidence he had his lights or siren on and he wasn't responding to any emergency calls, officials said.

Investigators also found the headlight switch on Song's patrol car was in the off position, indicating Song likely didn't have his headlights on while driving on the dark roads, officials said.

Vizcaino was pronounced dead at the scene.

"It is always difficult for a police department to have to investigate one of its own," State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "The Miami-Dade Police Department's Traffic Homicide Unit conducted a thorough investigation which revealed that Officer Song's actions took the life of an innocent citizen. I am proud that my office was able to work with them on this case in an unbiased manner, to get to the truth of what happened."

"Miami-Dade Police Department policy delineates procedures by which incidents of this nature are documented and investigated," Miami-Dade Police Department Director Juan J. Perez said in a statement. "As such, this investigation, resulting in the arrest Officer Song, was initiated by Miami-Dade Police Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit, and worked in conjunction with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. We are committed to the highest professional standards, and will always endeavor to achieve our mission while being transparent and accountable for our actions."

Song turned himself in and was booked into jail before being released on bond. Attorney information wasn't available.

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