Police say he took over intersection, then struck a cop. How a long I-95 chase ended
A Royal Palm Beach man who lives with his parents and has paid $1,342 in speeding fines since December 2020 is in Miami-Dade County jail, accused of something more serious than speeding: attempted first-degree murder of a police officer.
The alleged weapon: Tristan Lawson’s Red Dodge Charger.
Lawson has pleaded not guilty to that charge, as well as aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, and fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer. The 22-year-old was granted no bond on the attempted murder charge.
Miami-Dade police said Lt. Juan Travieso suffered “bumps and bruises” on Sunday after an intersection takeover and before a chase that went from Miami’s Liberty City through Fort Lauderdale and to the Forest Hill Boulevard exit of Interstate 95.
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Drift and away
An arrest report says at Northwest 17th Avenue and 61st Street, Lawson engaged in the drifting and automobile play common to intersection takeovers before heading north on Northwest 17th Avenue around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
The report says police conducted a traffic stop at Northwest 17th Avenue and 66th Street, but also says Travieso and another officer each approached with “loud verbal commands to stop the vehicle.”
The report says Lawson “made eye contact” with Travieso and accelerated, hitting the officer and continuing north. The report said Lawson hung a right on Northwest 79th Street and headed to northbound Interstate 95.
With Miami-Dade police following via helicopter, Lawson got to the Forest Hill Boulevard in West Palm Beach. The report says Lawson, Ashael Alvarez Fajardo and a third man jumped out of the car and headed into nearby woods. A Boynton Beach police K-9 unit eventually found them.
