A suspect who police said led officers on a chase in a stolen car that led to a fatal crash involving a Miami Beach cop has been arrested, officials said.
Timothy Bowers, 35, was charged Wednesday with grand theft auto conspiracy, resisting an officer without violence, and cocaine possession, according to an arrest report.
The report said Bowers was behind the wheel of a BMW that was stolen Monday night in the area of Collins Avenue and 74th Street. When an officer spotted the car near 76th Street and Dickens Avenue and tried to stop it, the driver fled, police said.
During the pursuit, the officer was involved in a crash with another car, driven by 68-year-old Ivonne Reyes. Reyes was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where she later died from her injuries. The unidentified officer was taken to Ryder Trauma Center with a head laceration and was in stable condition.
Police haven't said if the officer was in full pursuit, or had his lights and sirens on at the time.
"I'm not at all prepared to talk about those elements, all that takes time investigating a traffic accident," Miami Beach Police Chief Daniel Oates said.
The BMW was later found abandoned, police said. Bowers was later found sitting in the passenger seat of a different car in the parking lot of the Collins Hotel, the arrest report said.
The report said Bowers resisted officers, and was found to be in possession of a bag of cocaine. He was also found to have two active warrants out of Missouri, the report said.
Jail records showed Bowers was being held on $12,000 bond on the local charges but was being held without bond on the warrants. Attorney information wasn't available.
Friends said Reyes was a mother of two and worked as a concierge at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
"Our entire team is devastated by this terrible news and our hearts go out to her family," the hotel said in a statement.
