A high-speed police chase on Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Waldo, Florida, about 12 miles north of Gainesville, ended with a fatal crash, killing four teenage boys.

The incident began when Florida State Troopers attempted to apprehend a stolen Honda CRV. To halt the vehicle, the troopers utilized a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT maneuver), causing the car to lose control. The vehicle rolled over and collided with a concrete utility pole, leading to fatal injuries for the occupants.

The four occupants, aged 14 to 17, were identified after the incident. Two of the boys, Jabril Chevers and Lawrence McClendon Jr., succumbed to their injuries at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville. At the crash site, Taleak Roberts, 16, and another unidentified boy were declared dead. Alachua County Fire Rescue reported that it took more than an hour and a half to remove the victims from the wreckage, which had become entangled around the utility pole.

This incident compounds an already tragic time for the McClendon family. Lawrence’s older brother, Jermaine Godbolt, was shot and killed a month before. In response to these tragedies, the local community has come together, creating GoFundMe pages to assist with funeral costs and sharing tributes to the young lives lost.

Lawrence McClendon, a sophomore and a key defensive player on his high school football team, was remembered by his coach, Ed Johnson, as a gifted athlete and a well-loved member of the team.

In the aftermath, Bradford County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Col. Brad Smith recounted their inability to match the high speeds of the stolen Honda, estimated to be over 100 mph. This led to the decision to pull back near the county line. However, a state trooper continued the pursuit, noting during the chase that some of the vehicle’s occupants appeared to be wearing ski masks. Officials later reported that two of the teens were wearing ankle monitors and three had active warrants.

“[The stolen vehicle] did start to pull over on the shoulder of the road, but before they came to a complete stop, they accelerated again, and that is when the chase was on,” Deputy Col. Smith said, according to Main Street Daily News.

As the victims’ families and the community grapple with the aftermath of this tragedy, the Florida Highway Patrol has initiated a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.