Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales is speaking out after he says a fast car driver has officers furious and the Brickell neighborhood driven mad.
Speaking with 7News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Morales said a sports car covered in lights and its driver are a nuisance in Miami, and he’s making a public plea to the driver and his family to stop.
“The disruption of the quality of life. The peace and calm,” he said.
Morales reached out to 7News after he said his officers have tried everything to calm 18-year-old Mikael Prada down. But it appears the exotic car influencer is on a mission to irritate residents across Miami.
“Intentionally revving the engine to annoy and bother folks,” said Morales.
Several social media videos feature obnoxious, antagonistic stunts pulled by the driver and his friends.
An additional video shows the driver getting stopped and yelled at by Miami Police officers.
“Do not rev it because we’re going to give you tickets for it,” said an officer at one traffic stop.
“That’s a big no-no around here,” another officer said in another traffic stop after Prada revved his engine. “Don’t drive aggressively like that. It’s dangerous for all pedestrians…I gave you a ticket for taking off fast and loud engine revving.”
Despite the traffic stops, Prada doesn’t seem to stop.
“[He] seems to be our most prolific offender,” said Morales.
On social media, Prada says he’s a crypto day trader. But Miami Police say he’s also a traffic ticket collector, issuing citations for everything from careless driving to noise violations and prohibited lights.
“He’s been ticketed 17 times for revving the engine,” said Morales.
Even though Miami officers are miffed about the troublemaker in his gaudy Ferrari, they say they can’t arrest him unless they see him committing a crime.
So Morales is hoping his public plea will prompt Prada to pump the brakes on his auto antics.
“I wanted to bring that awareness to the parents,” he said.
When asked about what critics might say about the loud noise as a downside of living in a big city like Miami, Morales said it is more than just a nuisance.
“We understand that it’s a busy area, but what they’re talking about is these intentional lawbreakers purposely going out there with the intent of being internet famous,” he said.
7News has reached out to Prada on social media for a comment. He has not responded.