rageous video you will only see on local
ten never publicly seen footage that
shows what really happened the night of
a fatal crash in Northwest miami-dade a
police officers actions were caught on
camera as he appears to leave the crash
scene without rendering any help and
that officer is still on duty today and
the family of the victim has who died
has hired an attorney and tonight
they're seeking answers 10 News
investigator Jeff Windsor has the
shocking video his car was t-boned spun
out of control it flipped inside 22 year
old Kumar Francis is trapped in the
driver's seat and one minute later his
Buick burst into flames it's video that
haunts Kumar's older brother who's a
firefighter in North Carolina
I knew that my brother was in the car
burning alive
Kamal was a community college student on
his way home from work
it was 11:45 at night Kumar's family has
now hired attorney Ben Murphy kamar had
smoke in his lungs so we know that he
was alive when that car was burning from
a different camera angle you can see the
car that blew the red light and plowed
into Kumar it's a silver Acura the
driver trying to get away from a police
officer local 10 News has learned
opa-locka corporal Lee Utzon Francois
was tailing and at one point pursuing
the Acura he originally spotted driving
erratically in his City and that
opa-locka police officer was just
seconds behind this crash but this
officer did the exact opposite of what
he should have done this is something
that should have been avoided opa-locka
police corporal Francois was 32 blocks
outside of his jurisdiction and he does
not stop that's it
I saw my SUV I saw there's a civilian
stopping to render aid the civilians
knew that something was wrong and this
police officer didn't know they you
can't not know this video shows the
crashed car smoking a light pole had
fallen into part of the street but the
opa-locka police SUV makes a left turn
like nothing happened that's impossible
for him not to see that accident so why
did he turn left take a look again the
opa-locka police SUV turns left at
Northwest 100 and 3rd Street and 22nd
Avenue he is just 18 seconds behind the
massive impact when the wreck happened
you know there was an officer in scene
so you could have got out put him out of
the car before he got to that point
their vehicles are equipped with among
other things a fire extinguisher even
eyewitnesses who saw the horrific crash
were shocked and we went over there to
try to help but the police we didn't try
to come over here help he they cry still
she went this way officer francois
eventually returns to the scene minutes
after the crash he told an internal
affairs investigator a bystander blocks
away flagged him down to point out this
crash but in a deposition he told a
different story that the crash was
dispatched out so he decided to turn
around when miami-dade police officers
show up at the crash site their body cam
video shows them raising an eyebrow when
the opa-locka officer wants to leave the
scene / talk about it Claire
according to them name you know how that
go the results of an internal affairs
investigation say officer Francois
violated opa-locka P DS chase policy
officers cannot pursue traffic violators
misdemeanor subjects or people
committing property crimes under any
circumstance Francois was 32 blocks
outside of his jurisdiction he never
called his supervisor had no lights and
sirens on never told miami-dade police
he was following a possible stolen car
that was entering their jurisdiction
first open lockers police chief
recommended Francois be terminated chief
James Dobson then changed his
recommendation to just a demotion and
there's no explanation in France Waze
personnel file as to why the chief
changed his mind
officer francois jeff wines here with
local 10 News Francois is still on duty
still making life and death decisions
every day sir can I talk to you about
the crash that killed Kumar Francis
there's video evidence of you leaving
the scene of the crash I would ask him
why why did he leave the scene I think
he fled because he realized that he had
caused a horrific crash officer Francois
told an internal affairs investigator he
wasn't chasing the car and that he
didn't hear and he didn't see the crash
here
Francois also claimed he made that left
turn because he thought the driver of
the Acura did too why were you in
pursuit outside of your jurisdiction
without letting anyone know sir because
of pending litigation no one from the
miami-dade Police Benevolent Association
would talk on camera in an email to
local 10 News a PBA attorney said quote
we believe officer Francois acted
appropriately based on the totality of
events and expect he will be exonerated
of any and all wrongdoing after all the
evidence is heard no one from the city
of opa-locka
would talk their position is that we see
no liability on our part whatsoever was
your job more important number brothers
life nothing to say sir
in opa-locka Jeff Moines here local 10
News
and let us emphasize once again no one
from opa-locka police will talk to local
10 News because of pending litigation by
the way the driver of the Acura 21 year
old Clinard Gilbert he was charged with
eluding police vehicular homicide and
possession of a firearm his trial is
still pending