DeLAND, Fla. – Three people were taken into custody Tuesday after a stolen car fleeing from DeLand police crashed into a tractor-trailer, causing the big rig to overturn and block traffic, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Officials said the crash happened around 4:15 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Spring Garden Avenue near International Speedway Boulevard.
DeLand police officials said an officer tried to pull over a 2016 Toyota Corolla that had been reported stolen last week out of Orlando on Saturday but the driver sped away on U.S. Highway 92. Police said the three teens were out joyriding in Deland.
The driver ran a red light and struck the left side of the big rig, which overturned on Spring Garden Avenue, troopers said.
Two of the three people in the stolen car tried to leave the scene, but DeLand police took them into custody, troopers said.
"They could have killed themselves or the driver of the semi," said Chris Graham, with the Deland Police Department.
Video released by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office shows deputies used a K-9 to track the two suspects who fled.
The suspects were identified as 18-year-old Richard Cyprien, 18-year-old Jayden Stevens-Martin and a 17-year-old boy.
All three were taken to an area hospital to be treated for injuries they suffered in the crash.
"We tried to stop the suspects, as well as VCSO, but it’s my understanding there was no pursuit," Graham said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 44-year-old Deltona man, suffered minor injuries, according to troopers. He was treated at the scene.
The big rig was later towed from the scene. Both vehicles sustained major damage.
No other details have been released.
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