PEMBROKE PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - A police chase involving a stolen car ended in a crash along Interstate 95 in Pembroke Park.
7SkyForce hovered over the scene in the southbound lanes of I-95 just north of Pembroke Road, Wednesday morning.
All five people inside the stolen car were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, where friends and family would later check up on them.
“Then he just told us he’s in the ICU, and he’s in critical condition,” said a loved one.
According to Fort Lauderdale Police, the chase started when five juveniles were trying to steal a car from a home.
Security cameras caught someone jumping over the fence and into a waiting car nearby.
Seconds later, the SUV sped off.
At one point, the vehicle hit a cyclist near Sistrunk Boulevard and Northwest 27th Avenue. He was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Shainnia Stroder, the cyclist’s friend, showed 7News the mangled bike.
“I told him to stay calm and stay down. When he wanted to get up, I said, ‘No, just stay down,’ and he said, ‘I’m gonna be late for work,’ and I’m like, ‘Don’t worry about it,'” said Stroder.
From there, the SUV took off on southbound I-95, crashing into several vehicles before landing upside down.
“All I remember was I felt a hit from the side. Then, I felt I was spun around, and the next thing I knew, I was stopped,” said Sharon Glueck, who was driving to work.
Glueck said Florida Highway Patrol troopers and police officers told her to exit the road quickly.
“I was so glad they were there because that could’ve been a lot worse,” she said. “I can tell you I was really traumatized. I just listened to them and went to the side of the road.”
I-95 was closed, and traffic got backed up for miles, but the lanes have since reopened.
Once they’re clear from the hospital, the juveniles will likely be headed to the courtroom.
“I’m not justifying none of the kids’ behavior. They were wrong, but I just think the police could’ve handled it in a better situation than they did,” said another loved one.
The charges the teens will face remain unclear.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.