NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. – The driver involved in an officer-involved shooting in Northwest Miami-Dade has been identified and taken to the hospital. The incident, which also left an officer injured, occurred after an attempted routine traffic stop escalated into shots fired.
Miami-Dade Police reported that the incident took place on Friday evening when an officer tried to pull over Virgil French, aged 38, who was driving a white Dodge Challenger. However, French refused to stop and eventually collided with an electric pole. During the confrontation, French used the car to injure an officer, according to MDPD Detective Luis Sierra.
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“Our officers quickly assessed and attempted to make contact. The subject accelerated toward one of our officers, striking him and pinning him against his own vehicle,” said Sierra. “Our officer discharged his firearm, striking the subject.”
The officer was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital with leg injuries but has since been released. French, on the other hand, was transported to Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. Police have charged him with attempted murder of a police officer and discovered a stolen gun in his vehicle.
The passenger in the Challenger, identified as Charlie Harris, aged 40, was also arrested. Harris faces charges of resisting arrest and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Interestingly, Harris had previously been charged three years ago for pushing a lit cigarette into his 5-year-old son’s chest.
Witnesses in the neighborhood where the incident occurred expressed their fear and concern for public safety. One resident mentioned seeing the police pursuit right in front of her and expressed relief that nobody was hit.
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The injured officer has since returned home from the hospital, while French will be transferred to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center once his condition stabilizes. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and further details are yet to be revealed.
Note: This article has been adapted to use simplified British English.
