A 15-year-old boy died in a horrific car crash after stealing a luxury car that was left unlocked by its owner when Hurricane Ian struck Florida.
Mario Bonilla, 15, was with his friends Malachi Daniels, 16, and Keondrick Lang, 15, when the trio stole a Maserati that was left in a driveway with its key in the ignition when the hurricane hit Florida’s western coast.
After the three friends broke into the unlocked vehicle on Sunday morning, they drove away and crashed the car into the side of a building along 62nd Avenue in St. Petersburg while driving at 80 mph with no headlights in an attempt to flee the police who tried to stop the teens before they got away.
Bonilla reportedly succumbed to his injuries while his friend, Daniels, remains in critical condition after being seated in the back of the stolen vehicle.
Lang, who drove the Maserati, is expected to survive the accident.
The crash currently remains under investigation by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department, whereas the police have yet to press charges against the survivors.
“We talk about this all the time. People really need to lock their car doors, and don’t leave your keys in the car, but they do,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.
“And when these kids are out in the middle of the night, and they’re stealing and breaking into cars, that’s what they’re looking for.”
He added: “These are young kids, they’re inexperienced drivers, no drivers’ licenses, driving 3.30 in the morning [at] 80 mph.”
As the police explained, they were not going to pursue Lang and his friends due to the county’s policy not to engage in high-speed road chases.
Lang, however, seemingly wasn’t aware of this policy which is why he turned off the headlights and drove off at 80 mph while being pursued by a helicopter thinking that he and his friends will be followed by ground units.
Sheriff Gualtieri also noted that the parents of the children involved in the crash were already informed of the accident along with the vehicle’s owner.
“You gotta feel for these parents because the know the issues you got with 15, 16 year old kids. They’re trying to do something about it, trying to be aware of it, and the kid sneaks out,” he added.
“Sometimes bad things are going to happen.”
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