Fleeing driver involved in fatal crash after fleeing FHP on US-19/34th Street N

St. Petersburg, Florida – On September 28, 2024, at approximately 2:54 a.m., a pursuit involving a Toyota Camry resulted in a fatal multi-vehicle crash on 34th Street North, near 38th Avenue North. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the Camry was observed by an FHP trooper traveling southbound on US-19 across a median, resulting in an attempted traffic stop.

The Camry driver fled the scene and pursued the officer south toward 34th Street North. Near Park Boulevard, the officer attempted a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver, but the driver regained control and fled south.

As the Camry approached the intersection of 38th Avenue North, an eastbound tractor-trailer turned onto 34th Street North, according to FHP. The Camry swerved into the northbound lane to avoid the truck and collided with two vehicles – a box truck and a Toyota Tundra – that were stopped at a red light.

A passenger in the Camry suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where he later died. The other three occupants of the vehicle, all of whom were not wearing seatbelts and between the ages of 18 and 20, were also transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Police are trying to determine which of the four passengers was behind the wheel at the time of the accident.

The drivers of the other vehicles involved, a 33-year-old Davenport man who was operating the box truck and a 46-year-old St. Petersburg man who was driving the Toyota Tundra, as well as a 73-year-old passenger in the Tundra, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to local hospitals.

No charges have been filed yet as the investigation is ongoing.