Miami-Dade officer was in his marked police car when arrested on DUI charges, cops say
A Miami-Dade police officer has been relieved of duty with pay, the agency said, after his arrest on DUI charges following what Hollywood police called a hit-and-run crash.
An arrest report also said Leopold Louis, 42, was “driving a Miami-Dade Police Department marked unit.”
In an emailed statement, Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez said: “This officer placed the public in danger in the same vehicle that the community has entrusted as a symbol of protection. I will not tolerate any representative of the Miami-Dade Police Department to jeopardize the community’s trust.
“We will allow the Hollywood Police Department to conduct their investigation with complete transparency and have complete faith in the judicial process.”
Louis has been with Miami-Dade PD since July 2017. He was arrested on charges of misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, first offense; misdemeanor DUI with damage to someone else’s person or property; improper backing up; and leaving an accident with an unattended vehicle without leaving identification.
On Monday, Louis posted $1,000 bond and was released from Broward County Mail Jail.
Louis’ arrest was first reported Sunday by sports radio host Andy Slater.
A stop in Hollywood
Hollywood police say Louis, who lives in Miramar, was involved in a crash around 1 a.m. Sunday at North 20th Avenue and Polk Street, but his cruiser was about a half mile northeast at U.S. 1 and Johnson Street. Louis himself was about a third of a mile south of the cruiser at 1805 Pierce St.
Hollywood Officer Carlos Diaz wrote in the report that Louis had bloodshot eyes, couldn’t keep his balance and smelled of alcohol.
“I advised [Louis] of the incident that occurred and he did not realize he was involved in an accident,” Diaz wrote. Louis “continued to state his friend, in the marked unit, was waiting on him. The marked unit in the area was his.”
Diaz wrote that Louis blew blood alcohol content measurements of 0.218 and 0.233. The legal limit for impairment is 0.08.
This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 12:48 PM.
