MIAMI (AP) — A Miami sandwich shop bicycle delivery man was struck by an unmarked police car — and then jailed for 12 hours.
The Miami Herald reports that 19-year-old Jimmy John’s delivery man Mason Morales was on his bicycle and in a crosswalk when Miami police officer Kenia Fallat struck his bike Thursday and knocked him to the pavement.
Morales responded by throwing his bike at the car, denting the passenger door. Morales told the newspaper that Fallat had been on her phone. He says he knew he was in trouble when Fallat got out of the car and he saw her uniform.
“The whole thing was pretty awful and stupid,” Morales said. “I don’t think I should have been brought in for that.”
Morales was handcuffed, charged with criminal mischief and taken to jail until his mother bailed him out at 3 a.m. Friday. Morales said he was also ticketed for failing to yield the right of way.
Fallat and Miami Police declined comment. The damage to the car was estimated at $500.
Morales said incidents with cars are fairly common while delivering food in Miami.
“I deal with this every day — drivers who don’t pay attention to where they’re going,” Morales told the newspaper. “I’ve been hit before. I broke my nose once.”