The alleged hit-and-run driver was attacked by witnesses, including one with a sledgehammer.
Cellphone video captured the intense confrontation between an alleged hit-and-run driver and onlookers who tried to stop him from leaving and used a sledgehammer to bust his SUV windows.
Witnesses said the driver crossed over a median in Miami and drove into oncoming traffic, hitting three cars before coming to a stop. At that point, multiple drivers get out of their vehicles and try to stop the man from fleeing. The video shows significant damage to his SUV, with the front grill hanging off the passenger side.
As onlookers screamed, the SUV lurches forward, makes a turn and gets stuck by cars trying to block his exit. A man gets out of a white van with a sledgehammer and proceeds to smash in the windows of the SUV, the video shows. The driver still manages to get away.
Police later identified the man as Maxwell Lagutenko, 25. He was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding police, leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage and reckless driving. There were no reports of injuries.
He appeared Monday in court, where his bail was set at $5,000. He is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to online records.
Lagutenko appeared to be high on narcotics, according to his arrest report, WPLG-TV reported.
He had been ticketed 18 times over the last eight years, according to court records, the Miami Herald reported.
He was found guilty 11 times and paid $2,387 in fines, the paper said.
Criminal records show he had been ordered to serve probation on convictions of delivering oxycodone, possession of drug paraphernalia and cocaine, possession of a controlled substance and violating a restraining order.
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