Officers arrested two men in the car and, apart from the two kids, also found a firearm, drugs, and alcohol
Those who engage in high-speed police chases not only endanger their own lives but also put countless others at risk, a danger magnified when children are involved. This reality was starkly evident when a fleeing driver crashed the Dodge Challenger he was operating in Brooksville, Florida. Shockingly, two children were passengers in the vehicle, accompanied by another adult, while a firearm, as well as a cache of drugs and drug paraphernalia, were reportedly discovered inside.
An officer conducting routine traffic patrol noticed the Challenger traveling at approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) over the posted 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limit. He initiated a traffic stop at which point the driver pulled over. Dashcam video from the patrol car shows that when the officer told the driver to put his keys on the roof, the Dodge driver sped away.
According to the police report, the Dodge driver reached speeds of nearly 150 mph (over 240 km/h) while attempting to elude the pursuing patrol car.
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Roughly three minutes into the chase, a second unit joins the pursuit and at some point, attempted to perform a PIT maneuver on the Challenger. Despite making contact, the officer fails to disable the Challenger, and the three vehicles continue in the direction they were headed. A few minutes later, the Dodge driver misjudges his speed, fails to complete a turn, collides with pedestrian crosswalk infrastructure, and ultimately rolls into the highway median.
Police swooped in and arrested the driver and the front passenger before finding a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old in the back seats of the car. The Florida Department of Children and Families initiated an investigation into charges of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to a report from Fox 13.
The driver now faces a multitude of charges, including violation of probation, fleeing to elude police, cruelty toward a child, and drug possession. Upon investigation, police said they discovered a loaded 9mm handgun, 29.8 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and over 18 grams of cocaine in the Challenger. Additionally, the front-seat passenger is charged with possession of marijuana, fraud, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidently, the driver has never possessed a valid driver’s license. Consequently, both individuals found themselves detained at the Hernando County Detention Center. Thankfully, nobody was hurt during the chase.