At least four people were killed after a police pursuit that began in Opa-locka ended in a violent wrong-way crash on I-95 in northeast Miami-Dade Wednesday morning, officials said.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 1 a.m. as the suspect, who was driving an SUV, entered the southbound lanes of I-95 at Ives Dairy Road traveling northbound.
At one point, between Ives Dairy and Hallandale Beach Boulevard, the SUV was involved in a head-on crash with a minivan, killing at least four family members inside, the FHP said.
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One of the victims was ejected from the van, Opa-locka Police said.
Authorities were still at the scene early Wednesday trying to determine whether anyone else was inside the minivan, which was completely destroyed in the crash.
FHP Trooper Joe Sanchez said it's one of the worst crashes he's ever seen.
"It's a tragedy, anytime anybody loses their life out here on the highway it's a tragedy but when you have four, unconfirmed, possibly even more inside the vehcile because the car's so mangled up but as of now we have unconfirmed four fatalities in this accident," Sanchez said.
The suspect, later identified as 24-year-old Paolo LaFrance, was hospitalized with two broken legs but was expected to survive, the FHP said. The front of his SUV was completely crumpled.
Police later said LaFrance would undergo surgery Wednesday for his injuries to his legs.
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Authorities had closed all I-95 southbound lanes between Ives Dairy Road and Hallandale Beach Boulevard as car parts were scattered across the highway.
Major backups were reported as the southbound lanes of the highway weren't reopened until around 9 a.m.
The chase, which started in the area of Northwest 143rd Street and 22nd Avenue, began when an officer spotted suspicious activity and tried to stop the suspect, police said.
LaFrance began driving northbound in the northbound lanes of I-95 but exited at Ives Dairy Road where he got back onto the highway in the wrong direction, police said.
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At one point, LaFrance tossed a gun out of the SUV, police said. The gun was later recovered.
Police said LaFrance will be charged with fleeing or attempting to elude and will likely face more serious charges. LaFrance has a criminal record, police said.
The family hasn't been identified but police said they believe they're all adults.
"It's a tragedy," Opa-locka Police spokesman David Chiverton said. "There's no words to help."
Check back with NBC 6 South Florida and NBC6.com for updates.
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