New surveillance video shows a gunman who opened fire on a North Miami Beach Police officer who was in his vehicle in what authorities said was an “ambush” shooting. NBC6’s Lorena Inclan reports
New surveillance video shows a gunman who opened fire on a North Miami Beach Police officer who was in his vehicle in what authorities said was an "ambush" shooting.
The incident happened just before 2 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot outside a Jewish center on Northeast 163rd Street, east of Biscayne Boulevard.
Officials said the officer was on routine patrol when he was "brazenly attacked" while sitting in his marked police vehicle by the suspect, who fired two shots.
The officer wasn't injured but footage from the scene showed the police vehicle had a flat tire.
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The surveillance footage released by police showed the suspect approaching the police car armed, then running away after the shooting.
Police said the suspect sped away from the scene in his vehicle, but a short time later, there was a two-car crash near Northwest 1st Avenue and Northwest 167th Street.
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One of the people involved in the crash matched the description of the suspect who fired at the officer, police said.
Police later identified the suspect as 36-year-old Evan Polinski, who was hospitalized after the crash.
At a news conference Thursday, police said Polinski was identified as the shooter and will face a charge of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
He's also facing charges of reckless driving and DUI related to the crash, after his blood alcohol level came back at .311, almost four times Florida's legal limit, police said.
Police said Polinski was previously known to the department from a prior misdemeanor DUl charge in 2017.
It's unknown what triggered the shooting but police said they believe it's an isolated incident.
"We are relieved that no members of our community or police force were harmed during this incident, and we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to maintaining peace and security in our city," the department said in a statement. "At this time, our investigation has led us to believe that this was an isolated incident targeting law enforcement."
Police added that there was no threat to the Jewish community.
