Witnesses' statements released in police ATV accident

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- The State Attorney's Office has released audio interviews with a group of women who witnessed an ATV accident involving one of two on-duty police officers after meeting the officers during a night on the beach.

According to the audio statements, these women met Miami Beach Police officers Derek Kuilan and Rolando Gutierrez at the Clevelander hotel, July 3, 2011. The witnesses made the statements to Miami Beach Police on the night of the accident.

The two officers, who were in full uniform, took pictures with the witnesses, who came to South Beach from Pennsylvania to celebrate a friend's bachelorette party at the hotel.

According to witness Brooke Guillams, she believed the officers were exotic dancers. "We thought they were strippers," she said. "They took pictures with us, we have pictures on camera with them. We thought they were strippers."

Another witness, Jaime Aldinger, said Kuilan and Gutierrez came off creepy. "While we were dancing and being rowdy, one of them grabbed me inappropriately. I pushed him off. I said something to one of my girlfriends, that that guy kind of gave me the creeps," said Aldinger.

Shortly thereafter, authorities allege, Kuilan took bride-to-be Adalee Martin on his station-issued ATV for a ride on the beach. Martin said, "He asked me if I wanted to go for a ride on the beach, since it was my bachelorette night, that people pay lots of money to go for rides on the beach, and I was like, 'Sure!'"

Prosecutors said during the joyride, Kuilan ran over two beachgoers, Kitzie Nicanor and Luis Almonte. The two victims suffered serious injuries.

Martin was thrown off the vehicle. "I didn't hear anything, I didn't see anything. I just felt like we hit something," Martin told a detective.

Martin's friend, Camille Campbell, who witnessed the beach accident, described the scene to officers. "All I see is people laying on the ground," she said, "in chaos."

Kuilan is accused of DUI. His attorneys said he did not drink at the Clevelander on the night of the incident. However, Campbell posed the question, "Why were these police officers dancing and drinking and acting crazy and grabbing me if they're police officers?"

Both Kuilan and Gutierrez were fired from the Miami Beach Police Department.

Kuilan still faces DUI charges, but his attorneys hope a judge will throw out the results of his blood alcohol test, since he never gave his consent to take the test.

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