She caused two accidents on the Dolphin, fled both, then attacked an officer, cops say

A woman is in custody after causing two accidents on the Dolphin Expressway, fleeing and attacking a Miami Beach police officer, Miami Beach police and multiple media outlets report.

Charlotte Rankin-Higgins, 25, was traveling east on the highway near LeJeune Road when she crashed her blue Honda into a white Mercedes around 5 p.m. Friday, according to WPLG 10.

WSVN 7 reported that she fled the scene and continued eastbound until hitting a gray Dodge van. A Miami Beach police lieutenant witnessed this crash and tried to intervene but Rankin-Higgins again attempted to escape.

Rankin-Higgins then attacked the officer, Miami Beach police say. She was eventually detained with the help of some bystanders.

Rankin-Higgins will face several charges from the Florida Highway Patrol and possibly additional ones from the Miami Beach Police Department, WSVN says.

Eastbound traffic was temporarily reduced to one lane pending an investigation but it has since reopened, according to Total Traffic Miami.

There were no injuries, according to WSVN.

This story was originally published November 8, 2019 at 9:31 PM.

C. Isaiah Smalls II

Miami Herald

302-373-8866

C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.