A 63-year-old woman was tragically killed while riding a bicycle after a hit-and-run crash just steps away from a Miami Beach Police station.
Though the driver is now behind bars, shocking details have surfaced about one police officer’s lackadaisical response to bystanders’ desperate pleas for help.
As terrible as the wrenching loss was, former cop Edward Cavalie made it worse by refusing to file a report and directing a witness to go inside the station and do it themselves. The entirety of the crash was caught on surveillance cameras.
Esmat Ahmed Ibrahim Khedr was riding her electric bicycle on the shoulder of Washington Avenue back on April 28 when she was fatally hit by a blue Ford Bronco. As pedestrians rushed over to render assistance, the driver of the Bronco, Demarcus Cortez Harrington, sped off.
The bystanders then flagged down Officer Cavalie in his police car, hoping he could assist with the emergency and file a hit-and-run report. Instead, he also drove off, ignoring Khedr as she lay in the street in front of police headquarters, suffering from severe injuries.
While the witnesses were inside the station filing a report, other officers rushed to the scene and found the victim unconscious and not breathing, stated an arrest warrant obtained by WPLG Local 10. She was then taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
A few days later, on May 1, Miami Beach Police received a report of internal misconduct accusing Cavalie of failing to respond to the crash. Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne A. Jones did not mince words in a public statement about Cavalie’s “negligent” lack of action.
“Mr. Cavalie was notified of a hit-and-run crash but failed to respond. Instead of adhering to our protocols by taking immediate action, Mr. Cavalie directed the citizens that reported the collision to enter the police station and file the report themselves,” said Jones, adding, “This response was negligent and a clear violation of our departmental policy.”
At the time of the fatal crash, Cavalie had been on the force for less than a year, sworn in on July 11, 2023, and was still in his probationary period.
Jones criticized the former officer, saying his actions “are not indicative of the dedication and professionalism of the hardworking men and women of the Miami Beach Police Department.” Cavalie was immediately fired.
“It is critical to emphasize that every member of this department is held to the highest standards, and any behavior similar to that exhibited by Mr. Cavalie will not be tolerated,” Jones told Local 10. “Our prayers remain with the victim of this tragic incident.”
Harrington was following an acquaintance in another Bronco when he allegedly ran down Khedr. The two drivers stopped a short while later, and the acquaintance urged him to go back to help, but he refused, saying he was “not going back to jail,” stated the arrest warrant. His known criminal history stretches back to 2004, and he has served time in prison for multiple felonies in Iowa.
A witness to the deadly hit-and-run claims to have seen Harrington look back at the victim and then “shrug his shoulders” before continuing to flee, stated the arrest warrant.
The acquaintance reported Harrington to Miami Beach police, and he was charged with leaving the scene of a crash without rendering aid. The 43-year-old is now behind bars, awaiting his next scheduled court appearance on Oct. 2.
