Police spotted a car speeding in West Kendall. Less than 30 minutes later, two teens were dead
Miami-Dade Police are investigating the actions of an officer who was pursuing a 15-year-old who had taken his mother’s car when the teen crashed into a concrete pillar, killing himself and his 14-year-old passenger.
More than a week after the horrendous crash, police won’t say why they were pursuing the silver Audi around 1:30 a.m. in West Kendall, whether they suspected the driver of a serious crime, or what speeds the officer and teen driver reached before the boy plowed into a pillar so hard it crushed the front half of the car. The questions are significant because, given the danger of police chases, most departments allow them only when drivers are suspected in a felony or lives are in danger.
To get a better understanding of the moments leading up to the Nov. 8 crash that killed Anthony Gago and Jazmin Keltz, a sophomore and freshman at John A. Ferguson Senior High in West Kendall, the Miami Herald reviewed police radio transmissions archived online. Those recordings revealed:
▪ Police first spotted the Audi speeding, and Anthony refused to pull over.
▪ A woman in the area called police to report a ‘suspicious incident,’ after her daughter had been dropped off by a silver Audi. Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said the woman found it suspicious because the driver partially covered his face.
▪ For 30 minutes, Anthony and police engaged in a game of cat and mouse over a 25-block stretch, cutting between Southwest 142nd and 117th avenues, in and around Miller Drive. At least five police units hunted for the silver Audi, spotting and losing it several times.
▪ Then, at 2 a.m., a dispatcher noted an officer was following the Audi eastbound on Miller Drive, and called for a helicopter to assist. About a minute later, the officer following the Audi radioed that the car had crashed under the Turnpike overpass at Miller Drive.
READ MORE: Girl in crash dies after life support cut; teen driver killed. Cops say he was fleeing
One of the main issues likely being examined by investigators is if the officer who Zabaleta said had turned on his emergency lights and was trying to catch up to the Audi, was chasing it. Though Zabaleta has repeatedly used the word pursuit instead of chase, he said there’s really no difference other than perception between the terms as far as police are concerned.
Law enforcement experts agree and say police often refer to a chase as a pursuit simply for public perception.
“There’s no distinction between what many people refer to as a chase, and a pursuit,” said Cristina Bearmud, the former executive director of Miami’s Civilian Investigative Panel and now a consultant for Miami-Dade’s civilian police oversight board.
Zabaleta said the officer who spotted the Audi just before the crash turned on the patrol car’s emergency lights and tried to catch up and get Anthony to pull over. Zabaleta said the Audi appeared to speed off after spotting the patrol car.
Family, friends, classmates devastated
The students’ deaths have devastated their families in the days since the accident. Dozens of friends and fellow students have turned the site of the wreck at Miller Drive and about Southwest 117th Avenue into a memorial filled with candles, flowers and a wooden cross with handwritten messages like “You will forever be in our hearts” and “Miss y’all both.’’
Ferguson students crafted a memory banner filled with handwritten, heartfelt messages: “aj, you were one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Fly high.” “Pray4jazzy.”
“I wouldn’t think that someone I know passed away,” Eli Rone, a Ferguson freshman said Tuesday after school. He knew Jazmin from their days at Ponce de Leon Middle School in Coral Gables and remembered her as a girl with many friends.
READ MORE: Friends and community pay respects to Kendall teens who died in crash
Zabaleta said his agency wouldn’t release information because of the Internal Affairs investigation into the actions taken before the crash. And though IA investigations are common following deadly crashes with a police presence, an investigation likely indicates police are concerned enough about the officer’s actions in the early morning hours of Nov. 8 to warrant a deeper look. Police have not released the name of the officer trying to catch up to the Audi.
“They’re looking into the entire incident, to make sure policies were followed,” Zabaleta said.
Michael Feiler, an attorney representing the Keltz family, cast doubt on the police actions prior to the fatal wreck that claimed the teens lives. But he didn’t get into the specifics of what he believed were the problems with the officer’s actions.
“The circumstances of police involvement are unclear and our investigation continues,” he said. “Police are there to protect the public, not to endanger them with reckless conduct.”
Police chases controversial
The attitude toward police chases took a significant turn in the mid-1990s, when activists and police oversight groups found that far too many drivers, police, even innocent bystanders were getting killed during chases often involving minor offenses. So by the early 2000s, the vast majority of police departments had altered their chase policies.
Now, virtually every major police department in the country only allows for chases if the driver of a vehicle is suspected of committing a felony, like an aggravated assault, a strong-armed robbery or the ramming of a police vehicle. Another exception: If someone’s life is at stake.
Specifically, Miami-Dade Police are required to “immediately notify the communications bureau” when a pursuit is underway. Officers are also required to give the location, speed and direction of travel.
The policy also states that “reckless or hazardous driving maneuvers executed by the driver of the fleeing vehicle shall not be duplicated by any pursuing vehicle.” And, the policy states that officers are not permitted to exceed “the speed limit by any amount that creates an unreasonable danger to the officer or the public.”
Timeline leading to crash
A timeline pieced together by the Herald after reviewing the police radio transmissions from the website Broadcastify indicates that it was less than 30 minutes between the first time police noticed the Audi and the fatal accident. Police also spotted the car, which police said was traveling at a high speed, but haven’t said how fast, at least three times prior to the crash.
Here are key moments in the timeline, based on the radio transmissions of Nov. 8:
At 1:32 a.m., police spotted the Audi heading west on Miller Drive, also known as Southwest 56th Street, at Southwest 137th Avenue. The officer read the dispatcher the license plate number and said the vehicle refused to stop before the dispatcher asks, “Any other units in the area of 56 and 137?”
At 1:33 a.m., after another officer offers assistance, the first officer says he has lost sight of the Audi.
At 1:34 a.m., the officer tells dispatch: “It was just a refusal to stop. It was being followed by a white Range Rover and they were both going a high speed, so I...” The rest is inaudible.
At 1:58 a.m, a dispatcher says the same vehicle is connected to another incident. A woman who lives in the 16200 block of Southwest 75th Street called police and reported that her 14-year-old daughter was dropped off by the vehicle. She said she grew suspicious because the driver had his face at least partially covered, police said.
“The person was wearing some type of face covering,” said Zabaleta.
At 1:59 a.m., another officer spotted the Audi at Southwest 51st Street and 133rd Place. Up until then, police had not seen the car for about 24 minutes.
Fifteen seconds after 2 a.m., yet another officer saw the same vehicle, this time heading south on 133rd Avenue at 51st Street.
Just before 2:01 a.m., a police dispatcher says an officer is behind the Audi, going east on Miller Drive. The dispatcher also asks if there are any helicopters available to help spot the car.
At the same time, the helicopter agrees to assist. It’s not uncommon for police concerned enough about a vehicle to call in for a helicopter. It is uncommon to ask for help spotting a vehicle only suspected of a traffic offense.
Just before 2:02 a.m., an officer tells dispatch that the Audi crashed into a pillar under the overpass on Miller Drive near Florida’s Turnpike around Southwest 117th Avenue. When the dispatcher asks the officer if contact has been made with anyone in the vehicle, the officer responds:
“Um, ya, that’s not happening right now.”
Family members preparing for funeral services have yet to speak publicly. Jazmin’s family made the heart-wrenching decision to donate her organs earlier this week.
Leia Luis, a Ferguson High senior, knew Jazmin and said her brother was especially close to Jazmin.
“She is a beautiful, intelligent, smart and super nice girl,” Leia said. “Everybody loved her.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
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