Two men and a woman accused of credit card fraud at Aventura Mall are facing charges after police say one them them crashed into police cars and nearly ran over officers and pedestrians while trying to flee.
Ayden Steward, Kara Thurman and Tevaughn Mclaughlin, all 20, were arrested at the mall on Tuesday afternoon, arrest reports said. Mclaughlin, the alleged driver, was charged with three counts of attempted aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, three counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing or eluding, resisting an officer with violence, unlawful possession of a stolen credit card, and possession of a stolen or fictitious driver's license.
Steward was also charged with possession of a stolen or fictitious driver's license and resisting an officer with violence, while Thurman was charged with possession of a stolen or fictitious driver's license and resisting an officer without violence.
According to the arrest reports, the three were seen on mall security cameras in the parking garage near Macy’s on the first floor, with one of them handing over credit cards to the others, who would go inside and make purchases.
When officers approached the car Mclaughlin was driving and ordered him to get out, he instead reversed the car and purposely crashed into a police vehicle then struck another parked car, the reports said. Mclaughlin then drove through the mall parking lot at high speeds, driving towards police officers and forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way, the reports said.
Mclaughlin made it onto Biscayne Boulevard, where he ran red lights and struck three other vehicles before he abandoned the crashed vehicle he was driving, the reports said. He was eventually taken into custody.
Mclaughlin was found to be in possession of fraudulent credit cards and credit card making equipment, the reports said.
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Thurman, who is from Ohio, and Steward and Mclaughlin, who are from Baldwin, New York, were all booked into jail. Attorney information wasn't available.
