Miami Sledgehammer Justice: Driver Chased By Crowd

MIAMI, FL — An alleged hit and run driver got a taste of sledgehammer justice when he allegedly tried to flee the scene of a Miami crash over the weekend. Video of the incident shows a group of people, including senior citizens, trying to stop the driver from leaving the crash along busy Biscayne Boulevard. One man on the video could be seen smashing at the driver's car widows with a sledgehammer.

Miami police later tracked the driver down and identified him as 25-year-old Maxwell Lagutenko of nearby Aventura. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, reckless driving and fleeing or eluding police.

"With everyone's information, officers were able to identify the suspect behind the wheel and then they were able to successfully arrest him," Officer Kiara Delva of the Miami Police Department told Patch though she said that officers don't necessarily condone such an approach.

"We're encouraging the public that this is not something we would want them to do," she explained, adding that it was potentially dangerous to chase the driver.

The first of two accidents occurred on Sunday afternoon at Biscayne Boulevard and NE 34 Street. Lagutenko had been traveling north on Biscayne Boulevard when he allegedly crossed the median and stuck an oncoming vehicle. He allegedly kept going in the wrong direction until he crashed again on NE 36 Street.

Court documents said that Lagutenko failed to stop after both crashes. "The defendant then put his vehicle into reverse and fled westbound on 36th and then north on Federal Highway," court documents said.

Delva said that police had still not decided if they were going to file charges against the man in the crowd who was seen on video smashing at Lagutenko's car with a sledgehammer.

"Their intentions were to stop that driver," Delva explained. "It's not something that we encourage the public to do."

Watch below as the crowd chases the driver:

Photo of Maxwell Lagutenko courtesy Miami-Dade Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation