Miami police officer seen clinging to hood of car before shooting driver
The officer, wearing a reflective yellow vest, is seen holding on to the hood of a black BMW as he presses his service pistol against the windshield and is heard firing at least three shots into the car, wild cellphone footage obtained by Local 10 News shows.
Panic from bystanders on the busy downtown Miami street can be heard as the vehicle tries to turn left but rolls to a stop — allowing the cop to jump off to safety and the driver's side door to swing open.
Advertisement
4 Wild cellphone footage shows a Miami police officer firing multiple rounds through the windshield of a car as he clung to its hood for dear life after the driver allegedly hit him and accelerated forward.
Local 10
The driver then bolts from the BMW in a blood-stained white shirt but stops a few feet away before he's ordered by the officer who shot him to get on the ground in the middle of the street.
He complies and first lies down on his back before being told to roll over by another officer who rushes into the frame and puts him in handcuffs as the video ends.
Advertisement
The police shooting happened in front of Bayfront Park — less than a mile from Kaseya Arena — on Sunday as people gathered at the Best of the Best Caribbean music festival, prompting dozens of the estimated 10,000 to 12,000 concertgoers to flee for cover.
Miami Police Assistant Chief Armando Aguilar told Local 10 News that the driver, identified as 21-year-old Menelek Clarke, was shot several times during the incident and was rushed over to Ryder Trauma Center for treatment.
The officer involved was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries before being released.
4 The BMW tries to turn left but rolls to a stop — allowing the cop to jump off to safety and the driver's side door to swing open.
Local 10
Advertisement
'We don't know exactly what happened. We do know there was physical contact between the officer and the vehicle,' Aguilar said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting and reviewing the officer's body camera footage and surveillance video from the area, according to the outlet.
The driver's sister, Sherylann Clarke, was in the car during the incident and described what happened moments before the shots rang out on the busy downtown Miami street.
4 The suspect, 21-year-old Menelek Clarke, bolts from the BMW in a blood-stained white shirt but stops a few feet away before he's ordered by the officer who shot him to get on the ground in the middle of the street.
Local 10
Advertisement
4 The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.
Local 10
'The patrol officer, we were all stopped, we were in the middle lane,' Sherlyann Clarke told Local 10 News.
'He told everyone else to go with his hand — hand signaling that we can go. And then he stood in front of my brother's car and shot him.'
Sherlyann said that her brother was looking for an area to park his car and wasn't trying to hit the officer.
'It wasn't intentional to hit him – no. The man moved with the car as he was going around him,' she claimed.
'I feel like he was wrongfully shot multiple times in his vehicle with no weapon.'
The Post has reached out to the Miami Police Department for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Sean Kingston's mother — convicted in $1M fraud scheme — is off to federal prison
The mother of singer Sean Kingston will spend the next five years behind bars for fleecing jewelers and other businesses out of more than $1 million, a Fort Lauderdale federal court judge ruled Wednesday. In March, a jury found Janice Turner, 63, and Sean Kingston, 35, guilty of five wire fraud-related offenses, court records show. They were indicted in July 2024, weeks after authorities raided Kingston's rented seven-bedroom, 7,966 sq ft. home in Southwest Ranches. Kingston and Turner, according to the indictment, orchestrated a lucrative wire fraud scheme from April 2023 to March 2024. They falsely represented that they made legitimate wire transfers for vehicles, jewelry and other goods. But the businesses never received payment. Among their alleged fraudulent transactions included: $480,000 for two watches, $285,000 for another watch, and $159,702.78 for a car, totaling more than $1 million in goods. READ MORE: Sean Kingston, his mother arrested on multiple fraud charges after South Florida raid Turner was facing up to two decades in federal prison. Her attorneys urged U.S. District Court Judge David S. Leibowitz sentence Turner to two-and-a-half years because of her charity work, 'myriad of health issues, and minimal criminal history.' At the sentencing, Leibowitz reportedly described Turner as the 'nerve center' of the fraud scheme, according to Local 10. In a document filed days before the sentencing, Turner's attorneys acknowledged that she will be deported to Jamaica due to her conviction. In 2006, Turner pleaded guilty to bank fraud and served more than a year in federal prison. 'Ms. Turner will go to prison; she has earned the prison sentence,' the filing said. 'However, a sentence greater than thirty months is a waste of taxpayer resources based upon the history and characteristics of Ms. Turner.' Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, will be sentenced on Aug. 28. Kingston, a South Florida native, is best known for hit songs 'Beautiful Girls,' 'Fire Burning' and 'Eenie Meenie,' with Justin Bieber. During the late 2000s, he became a best-selling reggae artist, with several Billboard Top 10 singles.
4 days ago
Attempted burglary reported at Teddi Mellencamp's Los Angeles home
An attempted burglary reported Monday night in Los Angeles took place at a home that property records show belongs to Teddi Mellencamp. Residents were inside the home at the time of the burglary, but it is not known whether Mellencamp, a former star of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," and her family were present, sources told ABC News. The Los Angeles Police Department said a call came in around 10:15 p.m. local time Monday for a burglary with residents inside. When police officers arrived at the home, the suspected burglars had left the home without obtaining full access The suspects gained entry to the property possibly through the garage but did not get far before they ran off, according to the LAPD. The suspects got away in a black BMW. The LAPD says it is looking for two males in black hooded sweatshirts. Mellencamp is the daughter of music legend John Cougar Mellencamp. The mom of four -- including a stepdaughter with her estranged husband Edwin Arroyave -- announced earlier this year that she was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma, a type of skin cancer, which she said had spread to her brain and lungs. Teddi Mellencamp has said
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Miami Herald
BSO detectives search for woman whose disappearance they say ‘may be suspicious'
Broward Sheriff's Office detectives are looking for help locating a woman who was last seen getting into a white BMW leaving a Pompano Beach Target store Sunday night. Detectives say the circumstances around the disappearance of 30-year-old Summer Leo 'may be suspicious.' The last time anyone saw her was shortly before 7 p.m. exiting the parking lot of the Target, located at 3200 North Federal Highway, in a BMW M340i, with a license plate number of AH34SK, according to the sheriff's office. The car is registered to a 39-year-old man named Timothy Bowman, the sheriff's office said. On Monday night, the sheriff's office said the car was last spotted in the Tampa area. Detectives are looking for both Leo and Bowman, according to the BSO. The agency said Monday it could not release any other information about either person, including where they're from or whether Bowman has a criminal history. The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information on their whereabouts or the BMW to call Detective Shane Fairbanks at 954-321-4380 or the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764-HELP (4357).
