BROWARD COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Sunday night crime spree across Broward County ended in a fatal canal crash and multiple felony charges for a man driving a stolen van. Detectives with the Broward Sheriff’s Office say Michael Malik Harvey is now facing counts of felony murder and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer after his attempts to evade police turned deadly for his passenger.
The chaos began around 7:25 p.m. on March 22 when a BSO deputy spotted Harvey driving a white GMC van recklessly in West Park. A quick plate check confirmed the vehicle was stolen out of Miami-Dade County. When the deputy tried to pull him over, Harvey allegedly rammed the marked patrol car and sped away. While that deputy stayed at the scene of the initial hit-and-run, the stolen van didn’t stay out of sight for long.
A Pembroke Park Police officer spotted the van near Interstate 95 and Oakwood Plaza. Investigators say Harvey intentionally swerved the van toward the officer’s vehicle, forcing them to jump out of the way to avoid a collision. This aggressive move triggered a multi-agency pursuit that eventually led the suspect into a Fort Lauderdale RV park on State Road 84.
The chase ended in death when Harvey allegedly crashed through a closed metal exit gate while driving the wrong way, plunging the van into a nearby canal. BSO’s Dive Team and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue rushed to the scene to pull the occupants from the water. While Harvey was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, an unidentified female passenger pulled from the van was later pronounced dead.
Harvey now faces a long list of charges, including grand theft of a motor vehicle and aggravated fleeing and eluding causing death. Because the passenger died during the commission of a felony, he also faces a murder charge. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently handling the investigation into the in-custody death, while BSO homicide detectives investigate the drowning death.
