CASSELBERRY, Fla. – Newly released helicopter video from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office shows the moments leading up to Tuesday’s double-fatal crash in Casselberry, capturing a suspect speeding through traffic while deputies coordinated efforts to stop him.
The video shows a BMW sedan driven by 26-year-old Marquavious Wheaton traveling South on U.S. Highway 17-92 at speeds approaching 100 mph while weaving between vehicles. Throughout much of the footage, no patrol vehicles are visible directly behind the BMW.
Radio traffic released with the video indicates deputies were tracking the vehicle from the air while officers on the ground positioned themselves ahead of the pursuit.
“Still northbound. Pushing about, about 100, 90,” a pilot can be heard saying over the radio.
As Wheaton continued driving recklessly, deputies discussed deploying stop sticks to end the pursuit safely.
“You want me to try to set up sticks?” one officer asked over the radio.
Another deputy later requested additional units to assist.
“He might be going straight down. If we could get help to set up sticks, that would be great,” the deputy said.
Moments later, dispatchers again instructed officers in the area to prepare stop sticks as the BMW continued at a high rate of speed.
Before Wheaton reached the officers staging ahead, the helicopter video shows his vehicle slam into another car at the intersection of U.S. 17-92 and Sunnytown Road. Two men inside the other vehicle were killed.
Seconds after the collision, deputies radioed a “major signal four,” indicating a serious crash.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were not closely following Wheaton on the ground immediately before the crash. In radio traffic recorded after the collision, a deputy can be heard telling supervisors that no sheriff’s deputies or city police vehicles were directly behind the BMW before impact.
The sheriff’s office said officers were instead positioned ahead of the suspect to deploy stop sticks. Video reviewed by News 6 shows the first patrol vehicle arriving at the crash scene just over 20 seconds after the vehicles came to rest.
Wheaton remained hospitalized Tuesday at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Authorities said he will be booked into the Seminole County Jail once he is released from the hospital.
The crash remains under investigation.