A newly released video shows the moment an innocent driver was hit by a fleeing suspect during a deputy-involved incident in northwest Miami-Dade, as a nearby homeowner warns repeated crashes along the corridor could turn deadly.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies attempted to stop a suspect near Northwest 71st Street and 17th Avenue, but the driver continued north and slammed into the bystander at Northwest 87th Street while she was driving through a green light.
CBS News Miami first met Vincent Miles in February following a deputy-involved shooting.
“It wasn’t like she started out to do this,” Miles said. “This is something that happened. Praise God, it was only eight inches from my house.”
But Miles says what stopped the car from going further wasn’t just luck — it was preparation.
He’s reinforced his property with cement blocks, fencing, wood, and deeply rooted plants designed to act as a barrier.
“The roots are three feet,” he explained. “So if a car hits, it still has three feet of root to pull up out of the ground — and it’s all entangled and connected.”
Still, Miles says crashes near his home are nothing new.
He showed CBS News Miami photos documenting vehicles landing on his property in 2018, 2023, and again in 2026 — adding that those are just the incidents he has records of.
For him, the concern goes beyond property damage.
“I’m more concerned about if someone is in here sleeping and something happens — and then there’s a death,” he said.
While he’s taken steps to protect his home, Miles worries his efforts may not be enough — especially if a larger vehicle is involved.
“I can’t stop a truck,” he said.
Now, he’s calling for changes to improve safety along the corridor.
Miles suggests adding a traffic light between Northwest 79th and 87th streets — something he says existed when he first moved to the neighborhood in the 1970s. He also believes guardrails, cameras, or increased police presence could help slow drivers down.
“It needs to be something that’s highlighted,” Miles said. “And I’m being blessed today with the opportunity to highlight it.”
CBS News Miami reached out to Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works for comment on potential safety improvements. As of publication, no response has been received.
