Miami police officer arrested at gunpoint for speeding www.privateofficer.com

 

Miami Fla Oct 30 2011 A Miami police officer was arrested at gunpoint and charged with reckless driving after going 120 mph on Florida’s Turnpike in Broward County earlier this month while on his way to his second job, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A highway patrol trooper, with her gun drawn, arrested Fausto Lopez, 35, who ignored repeated warnings to stop, according to authorities.

Neither Lopez nor representatives of the Miami Police Department could be reached for comment.

A spokesman for the FHP in Broward, Sgt. Mark Wysocky identified Lopez as a Miami police officer.

The incident, first reported by Univision 23, started at 6:28 a.m. Oct. 11 on the southbound turnpike at Commercial Boulevard, when a trooper, identified as D.J. Watts, saw a Miami patrol car switching lanes in a dangerous manner, according to the report.

Watts turned on her lights and siren but couldn’t reach Lopez, who was driving more than 120 mph, the report said.

At about 6:33 a.m., Watts caught up to Lopez. When she pulled in back of Lopez’s car, she once again activated her lights and siren, but Lopez ignored the warnings, according to the report, and kept going.

Finally, at 6:35 a.m., seven minutes after the start of the high-speech chase, Lopez stopped his car near Hollywood. An FHP video given to Univision shows how Watts approaches Lopez’s car with her gun drawn.

“She drew her gun for her own safety based on the actions of the driver,” Wysocky said.

Watts ordered Lopez to step out of the vehicle, handcuffed and detained him. As he was getting out of his vehicle, Lopez explained to Watts that he was driving so quickly because he was late to his off-duty job, which started at 7 a.m.

Lopez was released, but was criminally charged with reckless driving, which is considered a second-degree misdemeanor.

Source:www.miamiherald.com