Miami-Dade

Driver, 17, killed after crashing into Florida City home while fleeing police

Footage from Chopper 6 showed a crushed black sedan with a yellow tarp inside and a massive hole in the side of an apartment building

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The teenager who was killed after crashing into a Florida City home while escaping police has been identified. NBC6’s Jamie Guirola reports

A 17-year-old driver died after he crashed into a Florida City residence while fleeing police Thursday, officials said.

Footage from Chopper 6 showed a crushed black Mercedes with a yellow tarp inside and a massive hole in the side of an apartment building in the area of 80th Avenue and Southwest 336th Street.

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The incident began about 10 blocks north when officers with Miami-Dade Police's Robbery Intervention Detail tried to stop the driver for a traffic infraction, police officials said. While at a Sunoco gas station on 326th Street and Krome Avenue, an RID officer approached the vehicle and tried to get the driver to exit. The driver then slammed the door on the officer's hand and sped off, hitting another woman's car in the process.

While fleeing, the driver made a right onto Southwest 336th Street and sped down the roadway westbound when it lost control, crashed through a fence, and then slammed into the building, police said.

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A 17-year-old driver died after he crashed into a Florida City residence while fleeing police. NBC6’s Ryan Nelson reports

“The car came like blowing through the fence," said neighbor Mari Williams, who witnessed the incident. "We saw like a big cloud of smoke and I ran outside of my car. And I ran outside with my camera and started filming."

As the vehicle tumbled through the air, a gun equipped with a high-capacity magazine flew out the window and bullets fell out everywhere, police said.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Miami-Dade Police identified him Friday as 17-year-old Brandon Madison.

"What's important is that you have a 17-year-old who lost their life," said Miami-Dade Police spokesperson Alvaro Zabaleta. "You have a 17-year-old, for whatever the reason why he was fleeing, he put himself and other people in danger."

Police said the car he was driving was a rental, and the gun had been reported stolen out of northeast Miami-Dade.

Officials said both the officer whose hand was slammed and the woman whose car was hit are both OK.

"It's sad that it had to be a 17-year-old, a kid. That's very unfortunate," Williams said. "It's scary. You know, more and more these days, we're losing the youth."

Check back with NBC6 for updates.

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