Four teens died after Florida police led a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle that was ended by state troopers using Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT).
A group of males between the ages of 14 and 17 were in an SUV. The car had been reported stolen several hours earlier on April 20, and a Bradford County sheriff’s deputy spotted it and called for backup. daily mail report.
Officers observed multiple passengers in the vehicle and attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver sped away at speeds reaching 111 mph.
“They did begin to pull over to the side of the road, but before coming to a complete stop, they accelerated again, and that’s where the pursuit began,” said Col. Brad Smith, chief deputy for the sheriff’s office.
Once the SUV crossed the county line, Bradford deputies were unable to catch up.
” [Florida] At that point, the only vehicle that could actually keep up with them was the Highway Patrol,” Smith said. “Although our vehicles cannot match the speed they were going, we continued to try to have one of our units stay as close to the FHP as possible as a reserve unit until the Alachua County units caught up. .”
As the pursuit continued, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers utilized a controversial PIT maneuver in an attempt to stop the “threat posed by the fleeing suspect,” causing the suspect to roll over and crash in the Waldo area. It crashed into a cement pillar.
“The trooper intentionally made contact with the Honda, causing it to slow down,” FHP said in a statement obtained by the media.
Two of the four teens survived the impact, but died from their injuries several days later at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville.
According to reports, it took more than an hour and a half for emergency workers to remove all the victims from the wreckage. WCJB.
Some of the vehicle’s occupants were reportedly wearing ski masks.
Authorities later announced that two of the boys who died in the crash were wearing ankle tracking devices, and three of them had active warrants.
Jabrill Cheevers and Lawrence McClendon Jr. were later identified as students at nearby Newberry High School.
“We are sad to announce that two Newberry High School students who were involved in a serious traffic accident last weekend succumbed to their injuries,” Principal James Shepherd said in a message to parents. daily mail. “Thank you for keeping both families in your thoughts during this difficult time.”
“Lawrence was a great kid to be around and have in our program,” head football coach Ed Johnson said.
“As a football player, he was competitive, talented, relentless and had a knack for making big plays. He will be truly missed by everyone in the Panther football family,” he added. Ta.
Lawrence’s mother, LaToya McClendon, said her son’s life was “tragically cut short” and organized a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral costs.
“We lost our oldest son exactly one month ago and buried him three weeks ago. As you can imagine, our family is devastated,” the grieving mother wrote.
“We are prayerfully asking for your help in burying a child. We know this is a difficult time for everyone, and we sincerely appreciate your donations. Prayers are definitely welcome as well!”
McClendon’s eldest son, Jermaine Godbolt Jr., 18, was shot and killed in Newberry in late March (WCJB) report. Police are still searching for the person responsible.
In 2020, mothers arrested Regarding another vehicle-related incident in which she allegedly used her car to hit two people — Among them was a 15-year-old girl who said she was hit by the mirror of LaToya McClendon’s car during a scuffle at Alachua Park.
