ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office says the deadly crash in St. Augustine on Wednesday night that took the life of a 64-year-old woman was not the result of a police pursuit.
Florida Highway Patrol says they responded around 7:30 p.m. to State Road 16 and Ponce De Leon Blvd after a Tesla hit a woman on a motorized scooter, resulting in her death. The Tesla then hit a camera pole before bursting into flames in the parking lot of Flagler Inn.
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The Tesla driver, a 59-year-old man, was transported to a hospital in serious condition.
Bruce Fulton, a neighbor, heard the accident.
“I was sitting upstairs on the porch, and I heard a boop-boop, you know, like a police car does when they’re trying to get somebody to pull over,” Fulton said. “And then almost directly after that, I heard the crash, a big crunch.”
Dash cam footage showing two St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputies behind the Tesla posed questions about whether this was a police pursuit.
Florida Highway Patrol confirmed with Action News Jax that this was “without a shadow of a doubt” not a police pursuit of any kind.
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In a Facebook post, SJSO addressed the rumors.
They said an SJSO deputy who stopped at the Circle K gas station near the intersection was notified by an employee of a local business about a suspicious individual in a black Tesla.
After approaching the Tesla, SJSO says the individual drove out of the parking lot at “a high rate of speed.”
Then, the deputy reported the reckless driver over the radio to nearby units.
After the Tesla struck the motorized scooter, the driver continued traveling toward the intersection of SR 16 and Ponce De Leon Blvd, where he passed a second deputy.
That deputy then activated his emergency lights to safely U-turn at the railroad tracks.
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“Just seconds later, the Tesla struck a pole, traveled across all lanes of US-1 and into the parking lot of the Flagler Inn, where it overturned,” SJSO said. “The crash occurred before the deputy had time to initiate a traffic stop.”
The SJSO says they arrived on scene immediately due to information regarding a reckless driver — not because they were in pursuit of that Tesla.
“A fatal crash is a serious matter and can potentially result in a crime. SJSO does not immediately release pertinent information that could compromise a criminal investigation. We do our best to preserve the integrity of any call for service within our county until it is finalized. As stated above, the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and will release any further information. We appreciate the public’s patience and will continue to be as transparent as possible.”
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