HOLLYWOOD, FL — A Hollywood Police officer was driving near the beach when police say a BMW crossed the center median, struck the officer’s patrol vehicle and kept going.
The crash happened at about 12:25 a.m. on May 20, 2026, near Hollywood Boulevard and North Ocean Drive, according to a Hollywood Police Department media release.
Now, police say Artiom Echiusciu has been arrested in Chicago and is facing pending criminal charges in Broward County.
According to Hollywood Police, the officer was traveling north on North Ocean Drive near Hollywood Boulevard when the driver of a BMW, allegedly traveling more than 100 mph, crossed the center median and hit the officer’s patrol vehicle.
Police said the driver then left the scene on foot.
The impact sent the officer to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. Hollywood Police said the officer is recovering.
Detectives later identified Echiusciu as the suspect through investigative techniques and technology, the department said. Investigators said they learned that after leaving the crash scene, Echiusciu took a Lyft to get farther from the area.
During the investigation, detectives also learned Echiusciu had fled to Chicago, according to Hollywood Police.
Hollywood detectives worked with federal law enforcement officers, and Echiusciu was taken into custody on June 10, 2026, by the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in Chicago, police said.
Echiusciu is accused of leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury, reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, reckless driving causing property damage, driving while license suspended, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, and failure to register a motor vehicle, according to the release.
Hollywood detectives are working to extradite Echiusciu to Broward County, where police say he will face pending criminal charges.
The charges are allegations.
