Authorities say the driver rammed law enforcement vehicles, sped into a Fort Lauderdale marina and now faces a felony murder charge.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A police pursuit involving a stolen van ended in a Fort Lauderdale marina canal Sunday night, killing a female passenger and sending the driver to a hospital before his arrest, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
The crash quickly became more than a traffic case. Investigators say the van had been reported stolen in Miami-Dade County, the driver struck at least one marked patrol vehicle and then led officers across Broward County before crashing through a gate at Yacht Haven Park & Marina. By Monday, authorities had identified the driver as Michael Malik Harvey and said he was being held on charges that include felony murder, aggravated fleeing and eluding causing death, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, grand theft of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a crash involving an occupied vehicle.
Investigators said the chain of events began at about 7:25 p.m. Sunday when a Broward deputy saw a white GMC van being driven recklessly in the 4000 block of Southwest 33rd Avenue in West Park. After checking the tag, the deputy learned the van had been reported stolen out of Miami-Dade County and tried to stop it, authorities said. Instead, Harvey sped away and hit the deputy’s marked vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. The first deputy remained at the scene, but another officer later spotted the van near West Hallandale Beach Boulevard just west of Interstate 95. Authorities said Harvey then turned the van toward that officer, forcing evasive action and helping set off a multi-agency pursuit that ran east and north into Fort Lauderdale. At the marina on State Road 84, witness Liam Lenihan said, the van came in fast and “blew” apart a gate before disappearing into the water.
Police and fire rescue crews rushed to the canal as the van sank near pilings at the marina, a property in the 2300 block of West State Road 84 along the South Fork New River. Witnesses told local television stations that the driver surfaced first and officers jumped in almost immediately to pull him from the water and begin CPR. Another witness, Aninta Taylor, described the scene as disturbing as first responders searched for the passenger. James Bardwell, who was at the marina, said the van sank quickly after entering the canal and that officers dove in to reach the driver. Authorities said the woman was removed from the water later and taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Harvey also was taken to Broward Health. Officials said his injuries were not life-threatening. The woman’s name had not been released by Tuesday, and authorities had not publicly said how long she was trapped before divers reached her.
The case drew attention because it crossed several parts of Broward and involved multiple agencies before ending in a tightly packed marina where boats, gates and narrow lanes left little room for error. The sheriff’s office said the pursuit moved from West Park to the Fort Lauderdale marina in less than an hour. Local reports placed the final crash shortly before 8 p.m., after witnesses saw the van go the wrong way through a closed metal gate and into the canal. The location itself added risk. Yacht Haven Park & Marina serves boaters and RV guests, and witnesses described people nearby when the van burst onto the property. The pursuit also followed what investigators called aggressive acts toward law enforcement, including one crash into a marked deputy vehicle and a later move toward a Pembroke Pines officer. Those details are central to the criminal case because prosecutors often look at the driver’s actions before a fatal crash when deciding whether to pursue murder or fleeing charges.
By Monday, the sheriff’s office said Harvey was under arrest and facing a list of serious counts tied to both the chase and the woman’s death. Those charges include felony murder, aggravated fleeing and eluding causing death, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, grand theft of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a crash involving an occupied vehicle. The homicide investigation remains open, and authorities have also said other parts of the incident are still being reviewed. WSVN reported that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would handle the in-custody death review, while the Broward Sheriff’s Office continues the initial and homicide investigations. Officials have not publicly identified the passenger, explained her relationship to Harvey or said whether she knew the van was stolen. They also have not released a formal affidavit laying out the full pursuit route, the speed of the van or any surveillance timeline beyond witness video and agency summaries.
Hours after the crash, the marina was still marked by broken fencing, emergency lights and the work of crews pulling the van out of the canal. Witnesses focused on how fast the whole event unfolded. Lenihan told reporters there was a sudden boom as the van hit the gate. Bardwell said the vehicle slipped between two pilings and sank fast enough that there was little time to react. Their accounts added human detail to a case otherwise defined by charging language and radio traffic. For people at the marina, the most vivid memory was not the chase itself but the rescue attempt that followed, with deputies and divers in dark water searching for a second person after Harvey was already out. As of Tuesday, that is where the case stood: one woman dead, a driver jailed on a murder count and investigators still working to identify the passenger and complete the record of what happened from West Park to the canal.
The next public milestone is likely a court appearance for Harvey and a release of the arrest report or probable cause details, along with formal identification of the woman who died.
Author note: Last updated March 24, 2026.