A Miami Police sergeant has allegedly altered the account of a car crash he was involved in, leading to his suspension. He now faces investigation by multiple agencies.
Sgt. Antonio Hernandez from the City of Miami Police Department was driving an SUV and allegedly crashed into a palm tree in January.
However, surveillance footage retrieved from the crash scene shows a different timeline of events from what Hernandez reported.
This has led to questions about the officer’s sincerity and whether he can be relied upon to speak the truth.
A Vast Difference in the Timing of the Incident
The incident was first reported by filmmaker and activist Billy Corben, who said that Hernandez was allegedly driving a state-funded rental SUV and was off-duty when the crash occurred.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office report stated that Hernandez was driving on Southwest 32nd Street when he crashed into a palm tree on a swale near 140th Avenue.
The vehicle’s front was severely damaged, and a side-view mirror was left hanging. After the crash, Hernandez told deputies that he was distracted while driving and failed to spot the tree, according to a report by 7News Miami.
The MDSO stated in its report that the incident occurred on January 23 at 7:25 a.m. However, surveillance footage obtained by Corben suggests that the incident occurred nine hours before the time mentioned in the police report.
Notably, footage also suggests that the police SUV did not stop after the crash.
Corben said in a video on social media that Hernandez waited until the next morning, recreated the crash, and then called the police. He said:
“For some reason, Hernandez waited until the next morning, recreated the crash at the site, and then called police.”
Corben shows the actual video of the crash, with the surveillance cameras showing a timestamp of January 22 at 22:51.
A body camera of another officer shows Hernandez at the scene of the crash the next morning, explaining the incident to deputies.
Hernandez on Paid Leave as the Investigation Remains Ongoing
Since the incident occurred, the Miami Police told 7News that Hernandez has been relieved of duty and is on paid leave. The investigation has entered its fourth month.
Corben said that it has been months, and no action has been taken against Hernandez, who is currently enjoying a “vacation,” paid by the taxpayers.
He also confirmed that the MDSO opened a criminal investigation into the incident, but it remains unclear when the investigation will conclude.
The MDSO told 7News that the matter was under review:
“As a matter of policy, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office does not comment on open pending cases or ongoing investigations, but the matter is presently under review.”
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Former Arizona Officer’s Speeding Violations Raise Serious Concerns
In a similar story that was reported by Guessing Headlights, former Arizona police officer Chad Matthews’ body camera recordings between 2023 and 2025 highlighted extreme speeding incidents without him activating the lights or the siren on his police vehicle.
An internal investigation by Goodyear Police Chief Brian Issitt in May 2025 exposed 37 incidents of excessive speeding by Matthews. In ten of those, his speed was higher than 100 MPH.
Issitt stated that upon receiving a complaint from another officer who said that Matthews could kill somebody with his speeding habit, the department intensified its investigation into Matthews’ driving behavior. Issitt said:
“As soon as we received that information then we were able to start looking backwards at some of the pattern that, quite frankly, I was unaware of, but we were able to see a pattern of driving behavior that then led to a deeper investigation.”
Matthews resigned from his job before he could be terminated. The question that remains is whether police officers continue to put their and others’ lives at risk through reckless speeding, and if they are being dealt with sternly within a reasonable time frame.