Four people were hospitalized last week following a late-night police chase in Lake Worth.
Officers attempted to stop a vehicle transporting four individuals for a moving violation on February 15. This reportedly resulted in a car chase when the driver did not stop and instead took off.
The vehicle crashed on Buda Drive, rolling over the car and ejecting one person from the vehicle.
The Lake Worth Police Department tweeted Wednesday night: “Single vehicle rollover with at least 1 ejection. Three adult males & one juvenile female — all transported in serious or critical condition. Drugs & multiple guns found on scene. Expect a large LE presence for several hours. Crash occurred at the end of a short vehicle pursuit initiated by our agency. No officers or other individuals were hurt. More info. [sic] will be posted as it becomes available.”
Two individuals were identified by name by police on Thursday: 28-year-old Eric Conde and 18-year-old Xavier Lopez. The other two passengers in the car were not identified by name, as they were both minors: a 16-year-old male and a 13-year-old girl.
The 13-year-old girl was in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon. The two adult men had stabilized, though they were still in serious condition. The 16-year-old male was treated and released.
Upon searching the scene, officers allegedly found evidence of prior crimes; police stated that investigators at the scene found 22 grams of cocaine and 10 grams of heroin, among other drug paraphernalia, as well as two pistols.
It was reported that some of the individuals in the car were wanted on outstanding warrants. Police did not detail the number or the kind of charges for which they were wanted.
Lake Worth’s police chief, J.T. Manoushagian, told WFAA that vehicle pursuits are rare in Lake Worth, “but our officers are specially trained, our supervisors are specially trained to make decisions in those high-stress environments.”
Police intend to charge all three men with a crime, per WFAA.
Additionally, the 13-year-old girl was unrelated to the men in the car, and police are investigating the possibility that she was sexually assaulted, according to WFAA.
The Dallas Express reported last week that nearly 60 people are in custody after a month-long operation rescued children across North Texas who were victims of online sexual exploitation.
Dallas crime has seen a steady increase in sexual offenses, including rape, and sexual assault of a child continues to be a problem plaguing the city.
According to the Dallas Police Department’s daily crime brief, sexual offenses have seen about an 8% increase from the same time last year.
Amid underwhelming support from City officials, Dallas PD has also been grappling with increasing rates of drug-related crime in the city — about a 3% hike year-over-year — and a raging opioid crisis. Recently, fentanyl-laced drugs have been linked to overdoses among the city’s youth, triggering alarm among local parents and schools.
