Kentucky man charged in South Florida police chase. Cops say he killed man, stole his car
A man who led Miami-Dade cops on a chase Monday while driving the car of someone he killed in another state has been charged as police seek to extradite him to Kentucky, according to authorities.
Liobys Caro-Mena, 38, remained behind bars Tuesday evening at Miami-Dade’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $30,000 bond.
Caro-Mena was also served with an out-of-state fugitive warrant for the murder of 45-year-old Alain Garcia Perez, the Louisville Metro Police Department said Tuesday in a statement.
Murder suspect crashes, flips car
Acting on a tip from the FBI, officers flooded the streets Monday morning in north Miami-Dade in search of the victim’s car, a red Chevrolet Camaro bearing a Kentucky license plate.
Undercover officers first spotted the car parked alongside the Twin Lakes Apartments, 1221 NW 95th St., police said in Caro-Mena’s arrest report. As the undercover cops followed him from a distance, other officers joined.
The officers tried to pull over Caro-Mena at Northwest 87th Street and 18th Avenue just after 7 a.m., said police spokesman Officer Alvaro Zabaleta.
But after stopping momentarily, Caro-Mena took off in the Camaro and police gave chase, Zabaleta said. While fleeing, he struck a car at Northwest 103rd Street and 27th Avenue.
READ MORE: Man of interest in Kentucky killing leads Miami-Dade police on chase, crash, cops say
Around 7:45 a.m., Caro-Mena lost control of the car, crashed into several vehicles stopped at a red light and flipped on its side near Northwest 118th Street and 27th Avenue, police said.
Caro-Mena was trapped in the Camaro and had to be rescued by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Zabaleta said. He was taken into custody and airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in stable condition.
A woman at the crash site told CBS News Miami that her 11-year-old grandson was taken to the hospital after the Camaro hit her Hyundai from behind as she was driving her grandchildren to school.
The boy’s condition was unknown Tuesday.
What happened in Kentucky?
Details about the Kentucky murder are scarce.
Just before noon Sunday, officers were dispatched to a house in Louisville, Kentucky, after a person was reported “down,” John Bradley, a spokesman with Louisville Metro Police Department, told the Miami Herald.
When officers arrived, they found the body of Garcia Perez, who died from “apparent injuries due to blunt force trauma,” Bradley said Monday in an email. Public records show he lived at that address, and Caro-Mena lived about 3 miles away.
“It was discovered the victim’s car was missing and an attempt to locate was issued for the car,” Bradley said.
Are more charges coming?
Caro-Mena has since been charged in Miami-Dade with third-degree grand theft auto, fleeing police at high speed and leaving the scene of a crash with no serious bodily injury.
However, more charges could be forthcoming as Kentucky authorities continue their investigation, and Caro-Mena may ultimately be extradited to Louisville.
