Two women killed by suspect fleeing Marion County deputies
WEBVTT TWO PEOPLE.>> I'M ANGRY, I'M UPSET, I'MHURT, DEVASTATED.GAIL: LORI WOOTEN HAS KNOWNBRITNEY CHOMOSCE FOR 18 YEARS.SHE CAME TO THE FATAL CRASH SITEAFTER LEARNING BRITNEY AND APASSENGER WERE KILLED FRIDAYNIGHT AROUND 10:30 P.M.MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIESWERE CONDUCTING A CRIMINALINVESTIGATION IN OCALA NEARJUNIPER AND BASELINE ROADS ANDINITIATED A TRAFFIC STOP BUT THEDRIVER THEY ATTEMPTED TO STOPDIDN'T STOP.DEPUTIES PURSUED HIM AS HEHEADED TO HIGHWAY 301 ANDSOUTHEAST 132ND STREET ROAD.THE FLOY FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL ISINVESTIGATING THE CRASH.>> WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO DO THEMOST THOROUGH INVESTIGATION WECAN INTO THIS MATTER BUT WE'RE ALONG WAY FROM THE CONCLUSION.GAIL: ACCORDING TO THE SHERIFF'SOFFICE, A VEHICLE PURSUIT ISJUSTIFIABLE, OFFICIALS SAYDEPUTIES PULLED BACK THEIRPURSUIT AS THE SUSPECTACCELERATED, APPROACHING THEINTERSECTION AT A HIGH RATE OFSPEED.DETECTIVES SAY THE DRIVER FAILEDTO STOP AT THE RED LIGHT ANDSTRUCK THE LINCOLN THE WOMENWERE IN AND THEY WERE PRONOUNCEDDEAD AT THE SCENE.THE SUSPECT WAS TAKEN TO OCALAREGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER INCRITICAL CONDITION.AS FAR AS THE DEPUTIES INVOLVEDIN THE PURSUIT, THEY'RE BACK ATWORK.BUT THE MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S
A law enforcement pursuit in Marion County resulted in the deaths of two women Friday night. The sheriff's office said a deputy was doing an unspecified criminal investigation near Juniper Road and baseline Road, when a suspicious vehicle tried to flee the area. The deputy did a traffic stop, but the vehicle refused to stop, resulting in the pursuit.The Florida Highway Patrol said that Jaquard Cuyler, 26, of Wildwood was the fleeing suspect, on US 301 in the southern part of the county. Around 10:30 p.m., Cuyler's southbound VW Jetta was accelerating athigh speed, according to the sheriff's office. A news release from the MCSO stated that as the VW approached SE 132nd Street Road, deputies "pulled back their pursuit as the suspect vehicle accelerated approaching the intersection at a high rate of speed." Cuyler ran the red light at that intersection, according to both police agencies, and crashed into a Lincoln driven by Brittany Chmilarski, 29, of Ocala. Chmilarski, and her passenger Denise Allen, 57, of The Villages, were killed. After the initial crash, Cuyler's vehicle hit another vehicle. The two occupants of that third vehicle were not injured. Cuyler's injuries are described as critical by the FHP and serious by MCSO.Authorities closed the intersection for about eight hours while they workeda traffic homicide investigation. At this time, the Marion County Sheriff's Office is not releasing the nature of the criminal investigation that led deputies to pursue Cuyler.
MARION COUNTY, Fla. —
A law enforcement pursuit in Marion County resulted in the deaths of two women Friday night.
The sheriff's office said a deputy was doing an unspecified criminal investigation near Juniper Road and baseline Road, when a suspicious vehicle tried to flee the area. The deputy did a traffic stop, but the vehicle refused to stop, resulting in the pursuit.
The Florida Highway Patrol said that Jaquard Cuyler, 26, of Wildwood was the fleeing suspect, on US 301 in the southern part of the county.
Around 10:30 p.m., Cuyler's southbound VW Jetta was accelerating at
high speed, according to the sheriff's office. A news release from the MCSO
stated that as the VW approached SE 132nd Street Road, deputies "pulled back their pursuit as the suspect vehicle accelerated approaching the intersection at a high rate of speed."
Cuyler ran the red light at that intersection, according to both police agencies, and crashed into a Lincoln driven by Brittany Chmilarski, 29, of Ocala. Chmilarski, and her passenger Denise Allen, 57, of The Villages, were killed.
After the initial crash, Cuyler's vehicle hit another vehicle. The two occupants of that third vehicle were not injured.
Cuyler's injuries are described as critical by the FHP and serious by MCSO.
Authorities closed the intersection for about eight hours while they worked
a traffic homicide investigation.
At this time, the Marion County Sheriff's Office is not releasing the nature of the criminal investigation that led deputies to pursue Cuyler.