St. Petersburg Police chase suspect crashes into three vehicles

ST. PETERSBUIRG, Fla. - The wreckage at 9th and MLK on Monday was awful. 

"It was unreal," said witness Nick Todoroff. "It scared me."

"It was pretty scary," agreed Mirta Sarmiento.

It looked like an explosion of four vehicles, as the debris scattered for hundreds of feet in all directions.

All of that because one car -- reported stolen in Treasure Island and wanted in connection with a string of burglaries in the Allendale section of St Petersburg -- fled when St. Petersburg Police tried to stop the driver near 40th and Haines Road.

That chase ended just before 1 pm Monday, as the white Honda hit a van making a legal left turn, after rushing down 4th Street, through the southern sections of Crescent Lake Park and through other residential neighborhoods.

"How fast would you say they were going?" I asked witness Todoroff. "About 60-70 (mph)," he responded.

"I don't have the speeds just yet," said Police Public Information Officer Mike Puetz. "When we look at the tapes and all, eventually we'll have some precise information."

Regardless of the speed, I asked about this being an authorized chase of burglary suspects in accordance with SPPD policy.

"The very first thing that the officer has to do is make a supervisor aware that he is in pursuit," explained the Public Information Officer.

"He is going to give some details to the supervisor with regard to the nature of the pursuit.  The speeds, the direction of travel, traffic conditions, etc., so the supervisor can make some decision as to whether to authorize the pursuit and at that point they are to give out details of the pursuit  so that the supervisor can curtain the pursuit if he sees the need to."

This pursuit was authorized and continued through the time of the crash. 

Four suspects were taken into custody after fleeing from the crashed Honda.  They have been identified by St. Petersburg Police as follows:

#1 Quade Laveaux Evertt, B/M, 01/14/96, of 6430 16 St No. St. Petersburg

#2 Jatoney Cortez Robson, B/M, 10/26/93 of 747 30 Av So, St. Petersburg

#3 Jacquez Z. Lovette, B/M, 10/23/90, 2417 12 St. So, St. Petersburg

#4 Dawun Merriex, B/M, 12/08/94 of 854 24 Av So, St. Petersburg