Driver who hit deputy had license suspended 5 times, sheriff’s office says
A Miramar man who hit a Miami-Dade sheriff’s office deputy with his car over the weekend had his Florida driver’s license suspended five times for failing to pay traffic fines and was involved in a separate crash two months ago, according to officials.
Lonnel Duwayne Brinson Jr. hit deputy Leonard Cantave Saturday morning on the Northwest 6000 block of the Florida Turnpike, critically injuring Cantave, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.
The deputy was in stable condition as of Sunday.
Brinson’s Florida driver’s license had been suspended five times for failing to pay fines with the latest suspension issued on Dec. 8, according to an arrest affidavit.
If a driver fails to pay a traffic fine, their license will be suspended indefinitely, according to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. A person only needs to satisfy the citation requirements and pay the fine to clear said suspension.
A spokesperson for the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles did not respond to a series of questions including whether there is a cap on how many times a person can have their license suspended before their right to drive is revoked.
The sheriff’s office was unable to confirm Monday what Brinson’s five suspensions stemmed from and what counties the traffic violations were issued in, but he had at least two late or unpaid fines out of Broward County, court records show.
Brinson, 28, was cited in April for having his front windshield tinted, and he paid a $128 fine a few days late, Broward County Court records said.
In October, he crashed with a motor vehicle in transport on Interstate-75 in Hollywood, according to a Florida traffic report.
He was cited for careless driving, failing to submit insurance within 24 hours and having an expired tag for less than six months, court records show. He failed to pay his $7 fine for the expired tag by the Nov. 7 due date and had not paid as of Monday.
In the Saturday’s crash, Brinson is accused of failing to slow down for marked vehicles in “a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of all civilians and law enforcement officers walking on or standing on the roadway,” the affidavit said.
Cantave, who was tending to a crash, was hit by Brinson’s car and “vaulted into the air,” causing him to slide across all the northbound lanes before stopping on the shoulder of the turnpike, the affidavit said.
Brinson allegedly admitted to consuming marijuana and alcohol before the crash, and he told authorities he had more marijuana in his car — along with a gun, the affidavit said.
Brinson is being charged on one count of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and one count of misdemeanor possession of cannabis for Saturday’s collision, Miami-Dade County court records show.
This story was originally published December 29, 2025 at 5:58 PM.
