A Florida woman stole a police car Thursday, taking off in a high-speed chase which ended up killing her and two others, FOX35 reported.
Body camera video released by the Marion County Sheriff’s Department caught the moment Kendra Boone, 33, jumped through the passenger side of an apparently open patrol car and set off “with the pedal to the metal” before another deputy followed in pursuit, according to FOX35.
The deputy whose car was stolen can be heard on the video yelling, “No!” when he saw Boone behind the wheel. (RELATED: Three Teens In A Stolen Mercedes Allegedly Smash Into Police Cars, Causing Serious Injury To Officers)
Stolen patrol car: Body camera video shows woman jump in deputy’s car before chase, deadly crash https://t.co/6ZTcpBIi09
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Deputies were initially responding to suspicious activity at Forest Plaza in Silver Springs after dispatchers were informed a woman appeared to be trying to steal a car, FOX35 reported.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods defended his deputy for leaving the patrol car running when he stepped out, saying that anyone could have found themselves in a similar situation, FOX35 reported.
“You saw how fast that happened. Even in my 34 years of experience, that would have happened to me,” said Sheriff Woods.
Witnesses said the chaotic scene drew people out of shops to see what was happening, according to FOX35.
“It was, like, insane,” one witness, Katelyn Rentz said. “I have never seen that … People are crazy, man. That was my first thought. People are insane.”
Boone, who reportedly faced multiple charges across Florida, took the stolen patrol car to speeds of more than 100 miles per hour before smashing into a pickup, killing two of the three passengers inside the vehicle and herself, FOX35 reported.
“That means shit,” Sheriff Woods said when FOX35 asked whether his deputy was at fault. “That doesn’t play a factor in anything. This moron stole a police vehicle and killed two human beings. What my policies are and what the procedures are mean nothing. We did nothing wrong. My deputy did nothing wrong.”
Sheriff Woods said his initial reaction upon hearing reports about the stolen patrol car was “Panic because we know what’s in the vehicle. There’s a long rifle in there. The moment she did that, she was a threat to human life,” the outlet reported.
The third person in the pickup Boone slammed into is still in the hospital, FOX35 reported.