A driver fleeing from law enforcement in Florida this week ended up setting off a crash that involved three other vehicles, resulting in the deaths of four people, including himself, authorities said Wednesday.
The suspect was identified as Riquelme Villar-Villalona, 35, according to FOX 13 of Tampa.
“Had Villalona survived that crash, he would’ve been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters at a news conference.
“Had Villalona survived that crash, he would’ve been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd speaks in Tallahassee, Florida, June 11, 2014.
(Reuters)
The incident began when authorities received a 911 call about a possible abduction in Poinciana, the sheriff said.
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“If you do not stop them I believe he’s gonna kill her. I am dead serious. Please have someone stop that vehicle, she was bleeding,” the caller said, according to the sheriff’s office, FOX 13 reported.
Authorities determined the caller was referring to Villar-Villalona’s girlfriend, who was later located in a hospital. But immediately after the 911 call, deputies suspected the woman might be inside Villar-Villalona’s vehicle, FOX 13 reported.
When a deputy spotted Villar-Villalona’s black Mazda heading south, out of Poinciana, the deputy tried to pull the vehicle over, FOX 13 reported.
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Instead of pulling over, the suspect sped away, with the deputy disengaging from the pursuit but following at a safe distance, the sheriff said.
Ultimately, Villar-Villalona crashed his vehicle into a black Ford pickup truck, causing it to collide with a silver Toyota Tacoma. Meanwhile, Villar-Villalona’s vehicle went airborne and hit a Ford Escape, FOX 13 reported.
Villar-Villalona was “instantly killed” when he was ejected from his vehicle, which had its roof torn off in the crash, according to authorities.
Also killed at the scene were the driver and a passenger of the Escape, while two other occupants of the vehicle were injured, FOX 13 reported. The driver of the Tacoma was injured and died later at a hospital, the report said.
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The four occupants of the pickup truck were unharmed, the report said.
Judd said the suspect’s girlfriend has not been cooperating with authorities as they continue to investigate the case.
None of the other drivers or vehicle occupants were identified, FOX 13 reported.
