Miami Beach Officer, Suspect Struck by Cruiser During Chase

An officer who was chasing a robbery suspect in Miami Beach was “accidentally struck” by a cruiser Thursday night, police said.

He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The suspect, who was also hit by the cruiser, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. Both of them are expected to be OK, said Miami Beach police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez.

The chase started around 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the area of 22nd Street and Collins Avenue, when the suspect ran away from police, Rodriguez said. Video posted by Only in Dade on Twitter showed multiple police cruisers with their lights on blocking the road near the W South Beach hotel.

At some point, an officer who was on foot began “struggling” with the suspect when another officer, who was in a cruiser, “accidentally struck” them, Rodriguez said. He said the officer was taken to the hospital as “a precaution.”

WSVN video shows the officer arriving to the hospital on a gurney with a neck brace.

Police haven’t disclosed the suspect’s identity yet or what charges he’ll be facing.

No other information was immediately available.

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