Miami police denied pursuing a motorcyclist at speeds more than 100 mph before the cyclist crashed, killing himself and seriously injuring his wife who was riding with him.,
But that was before video evidence surfaced showing a Miami cop behind Yoinis Cruz Peña before he crashed on Memorial Day Weekend.
However, the Miami police union is still denying one of their officers chased Peña on Memorial Day Weekend before the 29-year-old man was found dead by fellow bikers.
In fact, Miami police union chief Ed Lugo began criticizing Peña’s family and friends on Twitter for shooting video of the aftermath of the crash instead of rendering first aid.
But the main question is, did the Miami police officer pursuing Peña cause the crash or at least witness the crash before disappearing?
According to the Miami New Times, the officer was in violation of departmental policy that forbids cops from engaging in high-speed pursuits for traffic infractions, misdemeanors and non-violent felonies:
According to a police statement, the crash occurred just after 3:30 p.m. on the off-ramp leading from the Rickenbacker to the southbound lanes of South Dixie Highway. In the first new video clip, the motorcyclists pass an MPD cruiser as they turn right onto the Rickenbacker. In the second clip, the MPD officer can be seen chasing a motorcyclist, who witnesses say was Peña.
The biker recording the footage says he’s going more than 100 mph, but both Peña and the cop blow past the biker. At the end of the second clip, the riders turn a corner to see a bike overturned and realize Peña and his wife have been thrown off the overpass. The officer is nowhere to be seen at that point.
Chasing Peña might have violated MPD’s policies: According to the department’s rulebook, officers are instructed to discontinue a chase if the suspect committed only a “traffic infraction, misdemeanor, or nonviolent felony” or “when there is a clear and unreasonable danger to the officer and/or other citizens.” This includes “when speeds dangerously exceed the normal flow of traffic.”
So maybe that explains the blatant denial by the police union that the cop was even pursuing Peña in the first place.
An edited version of all three videos is posted above. Click on the Miami New Times to watch all three videos in their entirety.
