A high-speed chase through Miami Beach’s North Beach neighborhood ended with two cars deliberately ramming each other and a man left with a shoulder injury after trying to confront the driver, according to police. Rayko Rodriguez Soto, 21, of Hialeah, was arrested Sunday and now faces three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon along with a felony criminal mischief charge.
According to WPLG Local 10, the drivers of an Infiniti and a Nissan Altima were traveling at high speed while intentionally striking one another as Rodriguez chased the other car through North Beach on Sunday. Investigators say the collisions were forceful enough to bring both vehicles to a stop. A passenger riding in the Nissan told police that Rodriguez was her ex-boyfriend and that she had been a juvenile when they dated.
Police say a passenger got out of the Nissan to confront Rodriguez, who then accelerated forward and struck the man with the front bumper and hood of the Infiniti, according to the arrest report cited by the station. The man ran back to the Nissan, saying he feared for his life, and later reported a left shoulder injury. Victims told police that Rodriguez fled the scene after the collision.
Video Evidence and Early Morning Police Contact
The Nissan passenger provided police with video showing Rodriguez intentionally ramming the victims’ vehicle and striking the man, the station’s report states. Miami Beach police first met with the Nissan driver at around 7:50 a.m. Sunday along North Bay Road near West 58th Street, an area that sits adjacent to La Gorce Country Club, an enclave known for its waterfront estates, according to Redfin. North Beach itself is a quieter, more residential stretch of Miami Beach known for its Miami Modernism architecture and ongoing redevelopment, according to Greater Miami & Miami Beach tourism materials…