Miami Police Officer Suffers Broken Arm In Wreck

MIAMI, FL — A Miami police officer suffered a broken left arm and a dislocated hip early Wednesday morning when he got into a wreck with a driver who allegedly ran a stop sign. The incident occurred at SW 17 Avenue and SW 2 Street. The officer was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in stable condition.

"Prior to the crash, another officer observed the blue Nissan Altima driving recklessly," explained Officer Kenia Fallat of the Miami Police Department, who said the crash occurred around 3:30 a.m.

The driver of the Nissan, 22-year-old Tommy Lazaga of the unit block of East 42 Street in Hialeah, was charged with reckless driving involving serious bodily injury and related offenses. He was also taken to Ryder by Miami Fire Rescue personnel with non life-threatening facial lacerations and was listed in stable condition as of Wednesday night.

Police said Lazaga was operating the blue Altima with its headlights off when he was struck by 27-year-old Officer Alexander Mena, a five-year member of the Miami Police Department.

"As a result of the collision, the defendant's vehicle was redirected in a northwesterly direction while he collided with the raised concrete median that divides north and southbound traffic," according to court documents. "The vehicle continued traveling westward and came to final rest when it collided into the structure at 134 SW 17 Avenue."

Traffic on SW 17 Avenue between SW 1 and SW 3 Street was disrupted for a time on Wednesday in both directions as a result of the investigation.

While conducting the crash investigation, Miami police said the Nissan was reported stolen from the 1500 block of SW 4 Street. Lazaga also did not have a valid driver's license on file at the time of the crash, according to court documents.

Photo courtesy Miami police Department