Update: NBC 6 South Florida reviewed a May 10 arrest report by the Miami Gardens Police Department and found that Tyrese Cooper, 18, a Miami Norland (FL) junior, was named as a suspect in a hit-and-run involving a stolen vehicle on April 20, exactly 10 days before he was arrested in a separate case on four charges alleging grand theft of a vehicle, possession of burglary tools and criminal mischief.
According to the police report, Miami Gardens PD officers were searching for two stolen vehicles on April 20 when they spotted a gray Dodge Charger, which fled the scene and then crashed into a fence near the Florida Turnpike. A suspect exited the vehicle and fled on foot, successfully evading officers, K-9 units and a helicopter search.
Officers, however, did find evidence behind, including an iPhone on the driver's seat of the Charger. On the screen of the phone was a picture of a man, whom officers identified as "Smoke," a well known nickname for Cooper.
The Miami Gardens PD examined fingerprints of the stolen Charger weeks later and found a match in Cooper. On Thursday, officers arrested Cooper at Miami Norland High at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET.
Cooper was charged with grand theft of the third degree and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. He was held on $11,000 bond.
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Original:
Miami Norland junior Tyrese Cooper, 18, one of the fastest high school sprinters in the country in 2018, was arrested on Thursday for the third time since April on a charge of grand theft of the third degree, according to a case file by the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Cooper, who turned 18 in March, was recorded as leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and was held on $11,000 bond. He was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center in Miami for the second time in 10 days.
Cooper is less than a week removed from missing the Florida High School Athletic Association Championships after being arrested on April 30 on four charges alleging grand theft of a vehicle, possession of burglary tools and criminal mischief. He was released on bond following his arrest and later told a CBS Miami reporter, "Picking up two friends. No cars were stolen. No cars were missing."
He was arrested in the beginning of April in Miami for lifting "chips, candy, and cookies," according to a 10 ABC News in Miami report.
Cooper has not run since April 26 at the FHSAA Region 3A-4 Championships, which marked his return to the track after an injury kept him from competing after the Sam Burley Hall of Fame Invitational. Cooper had qualified for three events at Florida's annual state championships.
Historically, Cooper has continued his track and field season into the summer, where he's featured at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, the USATF Junior National Outdoor Championships and the AAU Junior Olympics.
A year ago, Cooper was also invited to a prestigious 200m high school field at the Prefontaine Classic and later qualified for the Pan-American Junior Championships in the 200m, where he finished second among an international youth field.
Cooper currently holds a US No. 5 time in the 200m with an effort of 20.81 (-0.6) and a US No. 4 time of 46.40 seconds in the 400m. He owns a US No. 12 mark in the 100m.
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