A man is facing charges after a police chase involving a stolen SUV that started in Broward ended outside a terminal at Miami International Airport Wednesday morning, authorities said.
According to Margate Police, the black Chevy Tahoe had been reported stolen during a burglary at a tinting business on State Road 7 Tuesday night.
Miramar Police said a detective assigned to auto crimes spotted the SUV in Miramar’s jurisdiction Wednesday morning and requested a Broward Sheriff's Office helicopter to assist.
At about 6:40 a.m., the helicopter tracked the SUV as it crossed multiple jurisdictions and made its way into Miami-Dade County, officials said.
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Areial footage from Chopper 6 showed the SUV being followed by police down Northwest 54th Street as it weaved in and out of traffic. The driver then got on a congested Interstate 95 and then to State Road 122 headed west to the airport.
The driver sped through traffic then took one of the exits toward MIA with police cruisers close behind.
The footage showed the SUV stop outside the airport's Terminal E, where officers moved in and took the driver into custody.
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Miami-Dade Police said the suspect was taken into custody without incident. He was later identified as 57-year-old Walter L. Griggs.
Griggs was facing charges including grand theft of a vehicle and fleeing and eluding police, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
No one was injured and no accidents were reported during the chase.
The owner of the Margate business, Wilson Window Tinting, shared surveillance video with NBC6 that showed the suspect breaking through a window at his building.
The suspect then cased the shop, taking computers, tools, batteries and more, loading up the Tahoe before taking off.
“A mess. He ransacked through everything," owner Joe Basto said. "The funny part is, I just filled the Tahoe up last night."
Basto said about $20,000 worth of tools and window tinting materials were inside the stolen Tahoe.
“We’re trying to make a living here and this guy comes in here does us bad. I mean, we can barely work today," he said. "Go get a job. Period. Just go get a job."
This is a developing story. Check back with NBC6 for updates.
