A veteran Miami Police detective was hospitalized in serious condition after she was struck by an SUV driven by a carjacking suspect who tried to flee Monday afternoon, officials said.
The incident happened at around 3:30 p.m. in the area of Northwest 2nd Avenue and 13th Street in Overtown after Det. Marvalyn Lee Chin was flagged down by someone about a carjacking that was in progress.
Police said Chin got out of her car and approached the area of the crime when a suspect suddenly tried to escape and hit her with a Nissan Murano that had just been carjacked.
"She was kind of twisted on the floor. She was just screaming 'help, Jesus!' Calling for Jesus, screaming 'help!'" witness Erica Nelson said. "It was very horrifying to watch, to see somebody getting hit by a car due to stupidity."
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Aerial footage showed the Murano with front-end damage at the scene.
A man, who didn't want to be identified, said Chin was responding to his car being stolen.
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"Somebody came and told me 'somebody’s under your car, somebody’s under your car,'" the man said.
He said by the time he came out, he saw the detective being hit.
"He went towards the officer and slammed her against another car," the man said.
Chin was pinned between two cars and sustained injuries to her upper extremities and legs. She was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where officers gathered to check on her condition and console each other.
"It's an emotional time," Miami Police Chief Manny Morales told reporters at a news conference later Monday. "It’s a tragedy to have one of our officers injured in any kind of way."
The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Andrewin Wardell, was taken into custody shortly after the crash and was also taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.
Police said he'd attacked another officer before being taken into custody.
Wardell, who lives in Minneapolis, faces charges including attempted felony murder causing injury, robbery/carjacking, battery on a law enforcement officer, leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injuries and fleeing and eluding police, officials said.
Chin is a 19-year veteran from the investigative division. Morales said she underwent a second set of surgeries on Tuesday and said her injuries were devastating but said she'll be able to walk again.
“We are confident that she is going to recover. She is going to bounce back," he said. “She is a strong-willed individual, she has a strong faith base and she has the support of her family, the police department and her community."
Morales said the incident is a reminder that officers put their lives at risk every day.
"They leave their families at home to come do what we ask them, to keep our community safe, so at this time, what we need from the community is their support and prayers," he said.
