A Temple University student was shot dead by Miami Beach, Fla., police after authorities say she slammed her car into an officer Sunday night.
Cariann Denise Hithon was in South Florida celebrating her 22nd birthday when she was killed, NBC 10 reports.
According to the report, Hithon was driving a black BMW when she crashed into two other vehicles.
“The car was coming westbound from Ocean on 12th and went through the red light, struck an occupied car on 12th and Collins,” Miami Beach Police Chief Dan Oates told the news station. “At some point, the driver made a decision to speed away and she continued west on 12th Street.”
While fleeing that crash, Hithon hit another vehicle. At that point, several people surrounded the car, trying to get her to exit the vehicle. Police arrived on the scene and also attempted to get Hithon to get out of the vehicle, but that was when she stepped on the accelerator and ran over an officer, officials said.
Police fired several shots into Hithon’s car, ultimately killing her.
“It’s hard to express the amount of pain and distress that we feel,” Hithon’s father, Cary Hithon, told the news station. “I can’t explain why she wouldn’t have listened.
The injured officer, identified as David Cajuso, was hospitalized but was later released.
“Our officer who was injured, we know he lost consciousness at the scene for a period of time,” Oates said. “He is now at the hospital. He is stable and alert, but he is being treated for his head injury and undetermined-at-this-time internal injuries.”
The shooting remains under investigation, and officers have yet to release the name of the officer who pulled the trigger.
Read more at NBC 10.