Four Florida teens, including a high school football star, were killed in a high-speed chase earlier this month after allegedly stealing a vehicle.
WLBT reported Saturday that the April 20 pursuit started with a Honda CRV that was reported stolen out of Gainesville and ended in the Waldo area. A license plate reader had detected the alleged theft hours later.
A deputy followed the stolen vehicle while waiting for backup to arrive. Once backup officers arrived to help, they tried to pull the SUV over, but it slowed down and then sped off.
“We confirmed with the Gainesville Police Department that they still had that car entered as stolen, and the officer waited until he had three backup units with him before he initiated the traffic stop,” Bradford County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Brad Smith said. “They did start to pull over on the shoulder of the road, but before they came to a complete stop, they accelerated again, and that is when the chase was on.”
WLBT revealed that Bradford County deputies reached speeds of 111 mph during the chase, but they were unable to match the speed of the SUV. Police officials said deputies pulled back, and a Florida Highway Patrol trooper continued the chase.
The trooper was able to ram the vehicle and used a PIT maneuver. This caused the SUV to roll over and slam into a cement pole.
Here are some photos showing the aftermath of the ugly wreck.
Authorities revealed two of the teenagers occupying the SUV wore ankle monitors, and three had active warrants for their arrests.
Two teens were pronounced dead on the scene, while the other two perished at the hospital. All of those killed in the crash were between the ages of 14 and 16.
The Main Street Daily News identified two of the deceased youths as Newberry High School students, Jabril Cheevers and Lawrence McClendon Jr. The latter was a star sophomore defensive back for the football team.
Ed Johnson, Newbury’s head football coach, mourned the loss of one of his top players.
Lawrence was a great kid to be around and have in our program. As a football player, he was competitive, talented, and relentless, with a knack for making big plays.
He will be truly missed by everyone in the Panther football family.
