FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
--
At what point does a police pursuit become excessive? That's the question still waiting to be answered after a pursuit that began in Broward County and ended in Miami Beach, where the suspect allegedly opened fire, killing a K-9 officer.
The chase spanned about 30 miles from Fort Lauderdale south on Interstate 95 and then onto Interstate 195, ending at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach.
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies, along with Miami, Miami-Dade and Miami Beach police officers, were involved, though exactly how many agencies assisted remains unclear.
"We've got a lot of jurisdictions involved," Miami-Dade police Detective Nelda Fonticiella said. "We're just starting our investigation at this point."
Authorities said the incident started as a domestic dispute at a house in Oakland Park, where the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Delvin Lewis, allegedly fired shots. His vehicle was spotted on I-95 near Commercial Boulevard and the pursuit began.
Police said once Lewis drove into the Mount Sinai campus and was cornered, he opened fire, wounding the K-9 officer. Despite an attempt by emergency personnel to save Oozi's life, the K-9 died at the scene.
Lewis was shot by police and taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"When you have a subject that's eluding police and they go into different jurisdictions, other jurisdictions will ask for assistance just like we would ask for their assistance if we had a subject eluding from Dade County to Broward," Fonticiella said.
The BSO's pursuit policy allows deputies to give chase at high speeds if the person being pursued is wanted for a violent felony.
There is no determination as to how many deputies took part in the chase, but Local 10 counted as many as 30 marked patrol cars.
Copyright 2008 by Local10.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
