According to Florida authorities, a gang of adolescents stole an unsecured Maserati and drove it on a violent high-speed drive that resulted in the death of a 15-year-old.
In a press conference, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri revealed that 15-year-old Keondrick Lang, 15-year-old Mario Bonilla, and 16-year-old Malachi Daniels were searching for unlocked vehicles in a Saint Petersburg neighborhood at around 3:30 am on Sunday when they stumbled upon the unlocked Maserati with the keys inside.
Gualtieri said Lang had been “slyly” grabbing the door knobs of cars with his shirt in order to avoid leaving traces. Gualtieri stated at the press conference that when the adolescents saw the luxury vehicle had its keys inside, they rushed in with Lang behind the wheel, Bonilla sitting in the front passenger seat, and Daniels in the rear.
According to the sheriff’s office, officers noticed the teenagers from a helicopter that was looking into a separate case and informed deputies on the ground about a potential car theft.
According to Fox 13 News, the kids noticed the cops and fled in the car without turning on the lights, acting as if they were being pursued, despite the sheriff’s office’s claim that it has a policy against conducting pursuits.
“Patrol deputies on the ground made an effort to halt the car, but it sped and reached a speed of more than 80 mph. Deputies didn’t go after the car, “In a statement to the media, the sheriff’s office stated.
Gualtieri said during the news conference that “these are young kids.” “They are unskilled drivers without a license, traveling at 80 mph at 3:30 in the morning when the automobile begins to fishtail all over the place. At that time, he was powerless over the vehicle.”
According to the news announcement, Lang “lost control of the car” and “drove over a curb, struck the company sign, and the vehicle overturned.”
Deputies who responded to the location provided help, but Bonilla was declared dead at the spot, according to authorities. According to Gualtieri, Lang was hospitalized with serious but “not life-threatening” injuries, while Daniels was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and is “not anticipated to make it.”
The teenagers did not have lengthy criminal history, the sheriff continued, but Kenneth City police had previously detained them all as they were strolling through a neighborhood “at 4 am, all wearing black hoodies, faces covered, traveling through a residential area,” according to Gualtieri. Police recorded the youngsters’ details at the time of the event in September and phoned their parents.
According to Gualtieri, “These kids were on that wrong road, and what we see with these kids time and time again is that they’re out in the middle of the night searching for vehicles to break into and automobiles to steal, and these are crimes of opportunity.” They came here seeking for open automobiles and cars with keys inside, and they discovered both of those things.