ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A stolen vehicle carrying seven people, including multiple teenagers, led law enforcement on a chase early Thursday before crashing on Lee Road in Orange County, according to sheriff’s officials.
The crash happened around 1:40 a.m. on Lee Road near Adanson Street.
The stolen vehicle, a gray Mitsubishi, was reported missing Wednesday out of Osceola County. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office notified Polk County deputies around 1 a.m. Thursday that the vehicle was seen in the area of Ronald Reagan Parkway and Champions Gate Boulevard in unincorporated Davenport, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said its deputies, helicopter and the Florida Highway Patrol were pursuing the vehicle, which ultimately headed back into Osceola County and into Orange County before crashing on Lee Road.
According to the FHP, one of its troopers had spotted the vehicle heading east on I-4 and tried to pull it over. The vehicle got off at Lee Road and headed west. Troopers attempted a PIT maneuver, but the vehicle then went into an eastbound lane, hitting a 2019 Honda Insight and a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu.
Everyone in the stolen car and the drivers of the two other vehicles were taken to the hospital, troopers said.
Polk County deputies said there were seven people in the stolen vehicle, including a 13-year-old, a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds. The teens are all from Orlando.
The driver, 18-year-old Christopher Smith, is facing charges along with a 16-year-old passenger. The sheriff’s office said Smith faces multiple charges, including burglary and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
Eastbound Lee Road was shut down for hours but later reopened.
An investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are pending.