Video shows the shocking moment that a bystander got a sledge hammer from his van and started smashing the windows of an SUV as the driver was trying to flee the scene of a multi-car wreck.
The incident happened Sunday morning, when the driver of a Nissan Infiniti crossed into oncoming traffic on Biscayne Boulevard and crashed into three cars at Northeast 36th Street.
The video starts just after the crash, showing the significant damage to the front grille and side panel of the SUV.
Video shows the moment that a man used a sledge hammer to try and stop a driver from fleeing the scene of a multi-car wreck in Miami on Sunday
The video starts with the driver of a Nissan Infiniti trying to flee the scene
A group forms a barrier around the car in an attempt to keep it from moving
But the driver keeps driving and finds a way through two cars to drive down a nearby street
He only makes it a few feet before being stopped by another car blocking his way
At this moment, a man gets out of a white van wielding a sledge hammer
That man then starts bashing out the windows of the SUV to try and stop the driver from fleeing
The man smashes out several windows as the driver continues to drive
The driver makes his way between two vehicles and then flees the scene
The video ends with a few other cars giving chase to the driver
Suddenly, the man behind the wheel starts to reverse the car, causing a few people who had gotten out of their cars to crowd around the vehicle to try and stop it from leaving.
The driver weaves around the group and other cars trying to block him in and turns onto Northeast 36th street.
It’s there that the car comes to a stop again when another SUV blocks the lane.
One man tries to open the passenger-side door of the car, but breaks off the handle.
The driver of the SUV, 25-year-old Maxwell Oleg Lagutenko, was later taken into custody
It’s around this time that a man waiting in a white van at the light gets out of his vehicle carrying a sledge hammer. He then starts bashing in the windows of the car, starting at the driver’s side and working his way around the entire vehicle.
As glass hits the ground, the driver starts to force his way through the group and between the cars trying to block his way.
The clip ends with the SUV driving off, being pursued by some of the other cars that were at the scene.
Not long after, a police officer tried to pull the car over because the driver was driving recklessly and he or she noticed the damage.
But the driver would not pull over, so the cop backed off because of the Miami PD’s no-chase policy for non-violent crimes.
The driver was later taken into custody though, at which point a cop remarked that he looked ‘to be high on narcotics’.
The driver has been identified as 25-year-old Maxwell Oleg Lagutenko of Aventura.
He was charged with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and fleeing or eluding police.
He was ordered held on $6,000 during a court appearance on Monday when he appeared shaky.
No one was injured in the multi-car wreck.
Cops said it appeared Lagutenko was high on narcotics when they arrested him. He’s pictured above during his court hearing
Lagutenko was constantly moving and shaking during the court appearance