A community is in mourning after two teens died from injuries sustained in a weekend crash that had already claimed two other lives.
According to WCJB, the incident transpired on Sunday (April 20). The Gainesville Police Department reported a stolen Honda CRV was speeding on State Road 100. Authorities spotted the vehicle and quickly began chasing the four boys.
Bradford County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy,?Col. Brad Smith, spoke to Main Street Daily News about the incident and claimed that the boys did start to pull over. However, as the cops decelerated, the stolen vehicle sped up and took off. It was reported that the vehicle hit a max speed of 111mph.
“[The stolen vehicle] 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 said. “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.”
Alachua County Fire Rescue: Two dead, two injured in single-vehicle crash in Waldo https://t.co/01lcieuR8B
— GainesvilleSun (@GainesvilleSun) April 20, 2024
That’s when a Florida Highway Patrol state trooper intervened. When the trooper got close to the vehicle, they “identified that some of the occupants appeared to be wearing ski masks.”
FHP then made “intentional contact” with the vehicle to attempt to slow them down. When that failed, the state trooper then used the Precision Immobilization Technique. According to the Office of Justice Programs, the PIT Maneuver is a “technique used by law enforcement personnel to force a fleeing vehicle to abruptly turn 180 degrees, causing the vehicle to stall and stop.”
The maneuver turned deadly as the move sent the vehicle rolling. The four boys continued rolling until they hit a cement pole, leading to their deaths. The Florida Highway Patrol has released a statement regarding the incident.
“The Trooper made intentional contact with the Honda, causing it to decelerate,” the FHP release continued. “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.”
Main Street Daily News reports that the Alachua County Fire Rescue described the car as being “wrapped around a concrete utility pole.” The publication details that it took them “over an hour and a half” to free the boys, who were aged 14-17.
Later, law enforcement identified two of the boys as Lawrence McClendon Jr. and Jabril Chevers. They were transported to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, but the boys ultimately succumbed to their injuries. The two other boys were pronounced dead at the scene. GoFundMes were created for both McLendon and Chevers to handle funeral costs.
“Jabril was a loving son, brother, and friend with a heart full of kindness and a spirit that touched everyone around him,” Chevers’ GoFundMe page read.
“We are prayfully asking for help in burying our child. We realize times are rough for everyone, and we are so grateful for any donation. Prayers are most definitely appreciated as well! The McClendon Family,” Lawrence’s GoFundMe read.
McClendon’s GoFundMe page also details that Lawrence and his family previously suffered losses. The family’s eldest brother died, and they “buried him three weeks ago.”
via: Vibe
