Police pursuit ends in deadly crash on I-4 in Deltona, FHP says

Driver killed, 2 teen passengers seriously injured, officials say

DELTONA, Fla. – A driver was killed and two teen passengers suffered serious injuries Sunday morning during a police pursuit on Interstate 4 in Volusia County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The fatal crash was reported on I-4 near Saxon Boulevard in Deltona.

The incident started at the Hilton Hotel's overflow parking lot, where Daytona Beach Police said the suspect was first breaking into cars. A man called 911 and told dispatch that he witnessed two men breaking windows and stealing from at least five cars. Once police arrived, the suspects took off.

Police only got so far before they asked for the Volusia County Sheriff's Office to step in and help. Deputies said they used their helicopter to track the car and used stop sticks to try to slow the suspects down. Authorities said the driver swerved and crashed into a streetlight pole near the area of mile marker 111.

The driver died. Florida Highway Patrol said passengers 18-year-old Alexandra Phillipe and 14-year-old Trevon Bullard, both from Orlando, suffered serious injuries. FHP said no one in the car were wearing seatbelts.

"The whole situation is just terrible," said Robert Ranney.

Hilton Hotel guests like Robert Ranney said while it was wrong to steal from others, no one should have died from the incident.

"Human life is so much more important than any possession that you can buy. It's just not worth it," he said.

Daytona Beach Police declined to comment due to an ongoing investigation.


About the Authors:

Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.

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