Teen's joy ride in Broward Sheriff's Patrol car injures three, sent to Hospitals
By Hector Florin, Florida

Found on 11/12/02

A 15-year-old boy, too young to drive, went from bad to worse Monday, 
driving off in the police car he was handcuffed in and leading
a chase that sent three people to hospitals.

The boy races multiple charges and was in fair condition Monday night 
at Broward General Medical Center.

Yvonne Flares, 33, Kathryn Bellamy, 32, and an unidentified man are 
expected to recover from their injuries, police said.

They were hurt when the boy slammed into three vehicles at Northwest 
31st Avenue and Northwest 19th Street in Lauderdale Lakes.

The crash culminated a four-mile chase the boy led police on, zigzagging 
through back roads.

It began at 2:10 p.m. at the Community Heath Center, 4800 N. State Road 7 
in Tamarac, where police received a call of a disturbance or burglary.

The boy's mother said her older son was chasing her 15-year-old after he
allegedly stole money from his pants.

"He's real slim," she said of the younger boy. "He was running hard."

The boy tried to enter the health clinic and was quickly met by Broward 
Sheriff's deputies who chased him on foot. They arrested him at a 
Mobil gas station at State Road 7 and Commercial Boulevard.

Sitting in the back of a Broward Sheriff's Office patrol car, the boy 
wiggled through the plastic partition, maneuvered into the drivers
seat and drove away. Police weren't sure if he drove with handcuffs on,
but his mother -- who was at the gas station - said her son had slipped 
them off.

"I told the police, 'You all better watch him'," his mother said.

The boy weaved through Tamarac, Oakland Park and Lauderdale Lakes with 
deputies in hot pursuit, BSO spokesman Hugh Graf said.

The boy who is too young to have a driver's license, struck a Ford
truck occupied by Flores and Bellamy and another Ford truck driven
by the unidentified man. Police said he also sideswiped a van 
-- which his family said was driven by one of his own relatives.

The commandeered patrol car remained on the median hours after the 
accident, its front crumpled. Both trucks were damaged, too.

"All we heard were screeches and bangs," said Tate Bachan, a mechanic
at Pop's Garage near the crash scene.

Relatives said the boy, whose name is being withheld because of his
age, had dropped out of high school.

"He doesn't want to go to school," said his 22-year-old sister. "He
just wants to do whatever he wants to do."

BSO is still investigating. Charges including burglary, fleeing and
eluding police were pending late Monday.


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