Four Florida Teenagers Killed In Car Crash After Police Use PIT Maneuver While They Were Driving Stolen Vehicle At 111 MPH
Over the weekend, four teenagers in Florida were killed after being involved in a police chase, after police officers attempted to use a PIT maneuver to stop them, but caused them to spin out of control.
The four teens were between the ages of 14 and 16, and two, Jabril Cheevers and Lawrence McClendon Jr., were students at Newberry High School in Bradford County. Two of the students died at the scene, while the other two died from injuries sustained in the crash several days later, at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville.
The incident began after an SUV was reported stolen from Gainesville. Just hours later, the stolen vehicle was detected by a license plate reader. Police were soon on the tail of the stolen vehicle.
“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,” said chief deputy of the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office Col. Brad Smith. “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.”
Deputies confirmed there were multiple people inside the vehicle and attempted to pull it over, but the driver sped up, reaching speeds of 111 mph. Police were unable to keep up with the car due to speed inhibitors installed in their vehicles.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) was called in and a state trooper continued chasing the stolen vehicle.
“The [Florida] Highway Patrol was, at that point, the only vehicle that could actually keep up with them,” 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.”
It was soon after that the trooper attempted a precision immobilization technique (PIT) manuever, causing the SUV to roll over and crash into a cement pole.
The trooper then rammed the side of the vehicle using PIT – precision immobilization technique – maneuver. It caused the SUV to roll over and crash into a cement pole.
“The Trooper made intentional contact with the Honda, causing it to decelerate,” said a statement from FHP. “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.”
WCJB reported that crews took over an hour and a half to remove the crash victims from the vehicle.
Two of the teens that were killed were reportedly wearing ankle monitors, while three had active warrants, according to WLBT, which also reported that several occupants were wearing ski masks.
“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,” Newberry High School principal James Sheppard wrote in a message to parents. “Thank you for keeping both of these families in your thoughts during this difficult time.”
McClendon, a sophomore, was a defensive back for the football team.
“Lawrence [McClendon] was a great kid to be around and have in our program,” said Ed Johnson, Newberry’s head football coach. “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.”
His family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses.
God bless these families and the law enforcement. All sides lose.