A Florida teenager was left critically injured on the night of July 22 after being dragged behind a car for about 450 feet. The 16-year-old boy behind the wheel of the car was attempting to flee law enforcement according to a report from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were dispatched to a vacation home in Davenport after neighbors complained about a noisy party. The boy is facing multiple charges including counts of DUI and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury.
Teens flee when police arrive
Several teens attempted to flee when deputies pulled up outside the Cypress Point Boulevard residence, but only one of them struck several people with a car while trying to escape. The girl who was dragged suffered internal injuries and multiple broken bones. She also lost both skin and muscle tissue. A helicopter was called in to transport her to a hospital. The three other teens who were struck suffered less serious injuries.
Teen apprehended after crashing
The search for the fleeing teen was a brief one. According to a PCSO report, he was found hiding in a distribution center parking lot after crashing his car about eight miles from the scene of the party on Deen Still Road. Breath tests are said to have revealed that his blood alcohol concentration was almost three times the .08 DUI limit for a driver over the age of 21. The legal limit for a 16-year-old in Florida is .02.
Remaining calm and resisting the urge to flee
Attempting to flee from police is almost always a bad idea and generally makes the situation far worse. In addition to giving police officers reason to file more charges, attempts to elude law enforcement make it difficult for experienced criminal defense attorneys to convince prosecutors to take a lenient approach.
