By Kevin Deutsch
The driver of the stolen SUV that crashed into a Coral Springs Police cruiser injuring an officer Tuesday did it intentionally while trying to escape capture while carrying a loaded gun in the stolen vehicle, police said Wednesday.
The teens, a 16-year-old Taravella High School student from Sunrise, a 15-year-old Piper High School student from Lauderhill, and a 16-year-old Piper High School student from Sunrise, were checking door handles near the 4800 block of Kensington Circle around 3 a.m. Tuesday before allegedly speeding off in a stolen white 2022 Honda Pilot, according to court records made public Wednesday.
Coral Springs Talk is not identifying the teens because they are juveniles.
The 15-year-old allegedly drove the stolen SUV as Coral Springs Police set up a perimeter to stop the accused thieves. Instead of stopping and surrendering, the driver “intentionally rammed head-on” into an officer’s marked patrol car, causing a “violent collision,” an officer at the scene wrote in an arrest report.
The crash caused the vehicles to collide with a nearby property and destroy a mailbox, records show. The Pilot sped off and kept trying to elude officers until the driver lost control and crashed into a building, leaving the SUV disabled, police said.
The three teens bailed out of the Honda and fled but were captured a short time later, police said.
Investigators learned the Honda was stolen out of Tamarac. Inside the vehicle, they found a loaded Smith and Wesson pistol they said was in the possession of the 15-year-old driver.
They also found a City of Sunrise Fire Department badge, records show. According to the documents, the owner of the badge confirmed to police his vehicle had been burglarized.
Police also found stolen gift cards on one of the 16-year-old suspects, records show.
The 15-year-old is charged with multiple crimes, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, theft from an automobile, petit theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, and carrying a concealed firearm during a crime.
The two 16-year-olds are charged with theft from an automobile, petit theft, and trespassing.
The teens were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center in Fort Lauderdale.
The police officer injured in the crash was treated and released from Broward Health Coral Springs.
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Author Profile
- Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.
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