Miami-Dade Deputy Flipped in Air when SUV Drives into Crash Scene

Miami-Dade Sheriff's Deputy Leonard Cantave was critically injured when he was "vaulted into the air" and flipped several times after an SUV struck him at a crash scene.

Dec. 29, 2025

2 min read

What to know

A Miami-Dade sheriff's deputy was critically injured after he was struck by an SUV Saturday while helping at a turnpike crash scene.
Prosecutors say a 28-year-old man drove into an active crash scene without slowing, swerved to avoid a patrol car and instead struck the deputy, who was airlifted to the hospital and underwent surgery for multiple injuries.
The driver was arrested on charges, including reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and driving with a suspended license.

By Sofia Saric

Source Miami Herald

A Miramar man was arrested for hitting a Miami-Dade deputy with his car Saturday on the Florida Turnpike, according to the sheriff’s office.

The deputy, who was identified as Leonard Cantave, is in stable condition, the sheriff’s office said in a Sunday statement. He was critically injured in the crash.

Cantave responded at about 7 a.m. to the Northwest 6000 block of the Florida Turnpike to help the state Highway Patrol with a crash, according to an arrest affidavit, which detailed the incident.

There were several marked vehicles with emergency lights activated, including one belonging to Cantave, that were blocking two crashed vehicles on the inside and middle northbound express lanes.

Lonnel Duwayne Brinson Jr., 28, then drove a 2019 Mazda CX5 into the active crash scene, the affidavit detailed.

He didn’t slow down for the marked vehicles “in a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of all civilians and law enforcement officers walking on or standing on the roadway,” the affidavit said.

Brinson is accused of suddenly swerving to avoid crashing into the deputy’s parked patrol vehicle but instead striking Cantave.

Cantave was “vaulted into the air” and flipped several times until he landed on the road, the affidavit said. He slid across all the northbound lanes before coming to a stop on the shoulder of the turnpike.

He was airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where he underwent surgery for multiple injuries all over his body.

Brinson was arrested on one count of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and one count of knowingly driving with a suspended license, the affidavit said.

He allegedly admitted to consuming marijuana and alcohol before the crash, and he told authorities he had more marijuana in his car — along with a gun.

Brinson had his Florida driver’s license suspended five times for failure to pay traffic fines with the most recent suspension issued earlier this month, the affidavit said.

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