Florida cop’s shocking response to witnesses who asked him to help bicyclist struck in fatal hit-and-run just steps away from Miami Beach Police station
A deadly hit-and-run in Miami cost a police officer his job after he drove away from the scene, leaving the victim dying in the street.
Esmat Khedr, 63, was riding her electric bicycle past the police station on Washington Avenue when she was struck from behind by a blue Ford Bronco, which sped away without stopping.
Seconds later, panicked bystanders watched Miami Beach police officer Edward Cavalie (41) drive by in his police car. However, he told them to find someone else and drove away.
When his colleagues arrived at the scene, they were unable to help the unconscious woman, who was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The heartless officer is fired, but Khedr’s husband desperately wonders if his wife would still be alive if Cavalie had helped him.
“Every day he takes his lunch to my mother’s grave and eats at the grave because he needs to feel like she’s still alive and eating with him,” one of their sons told wsvn.com.
Former Miami Beach police officer Edward Cavalie at his swearing-in ceremony on July 11 last year
Security footage captured Cavalie’s police car speeding away (top left) seconds after being alerted to the dying victim of the collision (circled at top)
Cavalie had been with the department for less than a year when the accident occurred on the afternoon of April 28.
The Bronco was driven by Demarcus Cortez Harrington, 43, who struck Kehdr’s bicycle as he passed her, causing her to hit the pavement and hit her head.
Witnesses saw Harrington look in his side mirror without stopping and shrug his shoulders before continuing on his way, an arrest warrant states.
Newly released security footage shows bystanders talking to Cavalie. According to Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones, he “instructed the citizens who reported the collision to go into the police station and file a report themselves.”
Cavalie comes around the corner and drives away, and other officers run out of the police station. Witnesses start filing the police report that Cavalie was supposed to write.
Harrington stopped when he was no longer visible and was approached by a friend who was riding just ahead of him.
The friend, who knew Harrington from a local strip club, later told police that they were returning their rented Ford Broncos to Miami International Airport when he heard the “thud” of Harrington’s crash.
After stopping, he asked Harrington if he had “run anyone over” and begged his friend to go back to the scene of the accident, the police report said.
Esmat Khedr, 63, had built a new life for herself in Florida, living on nearby Pennsylvania Avenue with her husband after moving from their native Egypt
Cameras captured the moment the blue Ford Bronco driven by Demarcus Harrington struck Khedr’s electric bike, sending her head-first into the curb
Passersby rushed to help the fatally injured woman as both Harington and Cavalie drove away
According to witnesses, Demarcus Cortez Harrington looked in his side mirror and shrugged after hitting Khedr in his rented Ford Bronco
But Harrington responded angrily, insisting he “wouldn’t go back to jail,” leaving his friend afraid he would “shoot him and kill him” if he spoke to police.
Harrington abandoned the rented Bronco and left the scene of the accident on foot. It took nearly two months for officers to track him down and charge him with leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
However, it took only three days for internal investigators to be alerted to Cavalie’s behavior.
“This response was negligent and a clear violation of our department policy,” Jones said.
‘Following an extensive investigation, Mr. Cavalie’s employment was immediately terminated.’
Khedr lived on nearby Pennsylvania Avenue after arriving from Egypt with her husband.
Her sons, who still live in the North African country and do not want to be named, said Miami 7News that their family is having difficulty coming to terms with what happened.
“We’re still suffering from it now,” one person told the station. “Nothing can bring my mother back. It was a very bad time. It was very difficult.
“Our thoughts, you know, we couldn’t imagine, first of all, that something like this could happen. Accidents can happen anywhere, but collisions, this is something very bad.
“She is a person who cares for everyone. She always needed people who were happy around her. She is a very kind person.
“When you see one of your family members being a victim of a crime, you always feel bad. You think, ‘I want justice.'”
Harrington has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2001 in his native state of Iowa and has served time in prison for a string of crimes.
He is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center pending his next court appearance on October 2.
Khedr’s sons told 7News that their mother ‘always needed people to be happy’
Chief Jones said Cavalie was still on probation after joining the department last July and that his “negligence” should not reflect on the rest of his officers.
“It is critical to stress that every member of this department must be held to the highest standards, and that behavior similar to that of Mr Cavalie will not be tolerated,” he added.
“His actions are not representative of the dedication and professionalism of the hardworking men and women of the Miami Beach Police Department.”
“Our prayers are with the victim of this tragic incident.”