Drivers trade shots on the road; teen arrested

Bullets were flying between two cars on University Drive before dawn Wednesday in what police call a drug deal gone bad.

When it was over, one of the cars crashed and its driver was shot by a Coral Springs police officer, investigators said.

The 17-year-old driver was taken to Broward Health North medical center to be treated for gunshot wounds to both legs, according to the police report.

Officer Kyle Greene was not hurt in the shooting incident, the report stated.

It started about 12:30 a.m. when police received several calls about gunfire between two cars near University Drive and Northwest 38th Street, said Coral Springs Police Sgt. Carla Kmiotek.

“We do believe this is somehow narcotics-related,” she said.

Callers to 911 reported hearing 20 to 30 gunshots.

Kmiotek said when an officer saw a car fitting the description of one of the vehicles involved in the shootout — a white BMW — it took off heading eastbound on Sample Road where a second officer saw it.

The BMW ran a red light with police in pursuit, then drove eastbound in the westbound lanes of Sample Road before hitting the curb and crashing near Northwest 83rd Avenue, the report said.

Officers repeatedly shouted for the teenage BMW driver to, “get on the ground,” but the report said he turned and pointed a handgun at Officer Greene, who fired several times. The suspect was hit once in each leg, police said.

During questioning at the hospital, the teenager admitted to firing shots at another car before driving off. He told investigators he threw the gun away. A Glock handgun with an extended 30-round magazine was found in some bushes at the scene of the crash, the report said.

A passenger in the BMW was unhurt. He told detectives what happened and was released. Investigators were looking for another man driving a newer-model silver Dodge Charger who may have traded gunfire with the BMW’s driver, Kmiotek said.

The BMW driver was taken to Broward County’s juvenile jail where he faces several charges that include aggravated assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer.