Stolen car suspect jumps into pond to flee officers following police chase in Miami-Dade

A woman had to be rescued by officers after she jumped into a pond to escape police who were pursuing her for allegedly stealing a car from a dealership in Miami-Dade Thursday afternoon.

Miami-Dade Police officials said the incident began when Melina Logan, 27, was test-driving a 2024 Honda Civic at Honda of South Miami.

When the salesperson stepped out, Logan fled in the car, police said. A police helicopter was able to quickly locate it and the pursuit began.

Aerial footage showed law enforcement including Miami-Dade Police and Florida Highway Patrol pursuing the silver Civic on the Palmetto Expressway southbound. Video showed the car speeding, swerving in traffic and cutting off cars.

At one point, Logan lost control of the vehicle and crashed into several other cars, police said.

"Yeah, she just hit me out of the blue," said Kenneth, whose Mercedes was rear-ended. "She hit me from the back, boom, and then she hit me into a semi-truck underneath it and she kept trying to get away and pushing me further and further underneath, and luckily the semi stopped. 

The Honda eventually stopped on a ramp near Northwest 25th Street in Doral, where Logan jumped into the waterway to get away from officers, police said.

According to an arrest report, officers threw two ropes at Logan but she refused to grab them, so several officers jumped into the lake to pull her out.

"She wasn't grabbing it. She was like swimming away from it," said Rosy Daniel, who watched it all unfold during her lunch break. "So at that point, they multiplied. Cops came from everywhere and at that time they jumped into the water and retrieved her."

While trying to pull her out, Logan scratched one officer on both arms and briefly pushed another underwater, police said. After a brief struggle, officers were able to bring Logan out of the water. She was placed in handcuffs and taken to a police car.

The ramp was shut down for several hours before reopening, but the closure caused major traffic delays in the area.

Logan faces charges of battery of a police officer and grand theft of a vehicle.