Driver of stolen car plunges into a Doral canal, and dies after rescue, police say
A man rescued from a submerged car in a canal near Florida’s Turnpike in Doral later died at the hospital, police said. He crashed into the canal while trying to evade officers.
This happened early Friday in the area of Northwest 117th Avenue and 58th Street. The canal is between the turnpike and Doral Meadow Park.
Doral police spokesman Rey Valdes said officers were notified through a license plate reader about a stolen white Volkswagen Golf and started looking for it. When they found the car, they turned on their lights and tried to pull the man over. That’s when he made a U-turn and went against traffic around 6 a.m. Friday.
“In a matter of seconds” he left city limits and went onto 58th Street, under the turnpike and then turned into a dark, unpaved and unmarked area full of gravel and dirt, Valdes said. With construction on the turnpike, dump trucks and pipes are scattered along the strip of land.
A sergeant then told officers to stop their pursuit. When they were leaving, officers noticed a “plume of dust” and decided to investigate, Valdes said. They noticed a damaged guardrail. Then they found the car in the water and called Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Rescue divers arrived shortly after and pulled the man from canal. He was airlifted to Kendall Regional Medical Center, where he died, according to Doral police. No one else was in the car.
Miami-Dade police homicide detectives have taken over the investigation.
This story was originally published May 28, 2021 at 8:04 AM.
