4 Florida teens including 2 with ankle monitors die after high-speed police chase ends in crash
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA: Four teenagers from Florida died in a police chase after the officers used a maneuver intended to stop the car but instead caused it to spin out of control.
The four students, who were between the ages of 14 and 16, attended the Newberry High School in Bradford County, Gainesville.
Two of them died at the scene in the Waldo area while the other two succumbed to their injuries a few days later at Gainesville's UF Health Shands Hospital.
Lawrence McClendon Jr and Jabril Cheevers were among the four who were killed in the April 20 crash. McLendon Jr, a sophomore, played as a defensive back for the Newberry High School's football team.
Following the incident, the McClendon family set up a GoFundMe page to assist with burial costs. They have been able to raise $645 of the $8,000 goal.
Stolen SUV's speed reached 111 mph during the police chase
After the police were notified about the theft of the SUV, they began their pursuit. A license plate reader found the car just hours after it was stolen.
Police soon had them in their sights, and as they implemented and called for reinforcements, a Bradford County sheriff's deputy verified the SUV was stolen.
After confirming that multiple people were inside the car, deputies made an attempt to pull it over.
The car looked to be slowing down, but the driver stepped on the gas and accelerated, causing the vehicle to reach 111 mph. Due to a feature that keeps them from accelerating too quickly, police patrol cars were unable to keep up with the stolen vehicle.
At that point, the Florida Highway Patrol was notified and a trooper carried on the pursuit. The person then executed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver, ramming the side of the vehicle.
The SUV rolled over as a result, smashing into a cement pole. In order to stop a moving car and surround it with officers, police must execute the contentious maneuver, which involves striking the rear of the vehicle and spinning it around.
"The Trooper made intentional contact with the Honda, causing it to decelerate," said a statement from the FHP, as per DailyMail.
The FHP further added, "The Trooper used the break in speed to perform a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT maneuver) on the fleeing Honda to stop the threat created by the fleeing suspect. The Honda subsequently rolled over before making contact with a cement pole."
It took the crews more than an hour and a half to remove the teens from the wreck, as reported by WCJB.
Col Brad Smith, chief deputy for the Bradford County Sheriff's Office, noted, "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.
He added, "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."
Smith claimed that because their own patrol cars could not keep up, Bradford County deputies gave up on the stolen vehicle once they crossed the county line.
"The [Florida] Highway Patrol was, at that point, the only vehicle that could actually keep up with them," mentioned, continuing, "Our vehicles cannot match the speed that they were going, but we did continue one of our units to try and stay as close as they could as a backup unit to FHP until Alachua County's units were able to catch up to them."
Two of the teens were wearing ankle monitors
The authorities later revealed that two of the teens were wearing ankle monitors, while three had active warrants against them, as reported by WLBT. It looked like some of them were donning ski masks.
In a message to the parents, Newberry High School principal James Sheppard wrote, "It is with great sadness that I share the two Newberry High School students who were in the serious car accident this past weekend have now passed away from their injuries."
"Thank you for keeping both of these families in your thoughts during this difficult time. Lawrence [McClendon] was a great kid to be around and have in our program," expressed Ed Johnson, Newberry's head football coach.
He continued, "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."
