4 Florida Teens Killed After Crashing Into Pole High-Speed Police Chase

Jabril Chevers and Lawrence McClendon Jr. were both taken to a hospital, where they then died. Two other teenagers died upon impact

Four teenage boys died after crashing into a pole in Waldo, Fla., on Saturday, April 20, reports WCJB and Main Street Daily News.

At the time of the accident, the teenagers — who were between the ages of 14 and 17 — were involved in a high-speed chase involving Florida State Troopers. After authorities responded to the scene, two of the boys were identified as Jabril Chevers and Lawrence McClendon Jr. Both were taken to UF Health Shands in Gainesville, Fla., but they both died of their injuries.

The remaining two victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

GoFundMe pages have been created on behalf of McLendon and Chevers' families to raise money for funeral expenses.

“Jabril was a loving son, brother, and friend with a heart full of kindness and a spirit that touched everyone around him,” read the description of Chevers’ GoFundMe page.

McLendon was a sophomore defensive back on his high school football team. “Lawrence was a great kid to be around and have in our program,” Ed Johnson, Newberry’s head football coach, told Main Street Daily News. “As a football player he was competitive, talented and relentless with a knack for making big plays. He will be truly missed by everyone in the Panther football family.”

McClendon’s older brother, Jermaine Godbolt, an 18-year-old Newberry senior, was fatally shot and killed last month, per McClendon’s GoFundMe.

Related: 2 Teens Dead After Stolen Car Rolls Over amid Police Chase in Houston

Bradford County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Col. Brad Smith told Main Street Daily News on April 25 that the crash happened after the Gainesville Police Department reported a stolen Honda CRV driving eastbound on State Road 100.

Then, the Bradford patrol unit located the car and began to follow it, which quickly led to a car chase.

“[The stolen vehicle] did start to pull over on the shoulder of the road, but before they came to a complete stop, they accelerated again, and that is when the chase was on,” said Smith, per Main Street Daily News.

But the Bradford County deputies ended their chase because they couldn’t keep up with the vehicle, which was around the end of the county line. “Our vehicles cannot match the speed that they were going, but we did continue one of our units to try and stay as close as they could as a backup unit to FHP until Alachua County’s units were able to catch up to them,” said Smith. Main Street Daily News reports that the Bradford County deputies' vehicles hit a max of 111 mph.

However, a Florida Highway Patrol state trooper was able to keep up and “identified that some of the occupants appeared to be wearing ski masks,” per an FHP press release, reports Main Street Daily News.

“The Trooper made intentional contact with the Honda, causing it to decelerate,” the FHP release continued. “The Trooper used the break in speed to perform a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT maneuver) on the fleeing Honda to stop the threat created by the fleeing suspect. The Honda subsequently rolled over before making contact with a cement pole.”

The Alachua County Fire Rescue then arrived at the scene and noted that the Honda was “wrapped around a concrete utility pole.” It then took the first responders over an hour and a half to remove the four victims.

A criminal investigation into the accident is ongoing, the FHP said, reports Main Street Daily News.

Related: 5 Teens Dead, Including 4 Co-Workers, After Car Crashed into Florida Pond: ‘Tragic Loss’

After the accident, Newberry High School principal James Sheppard shared a message with the students and parents, writing on April 23, “It is with great sadness that I share the two Newberry High School students who were in the serious car accident this past weekend have now passed away from their injuries.”

Additionally, grief counselors and trauma specialists remained at the school all last week.

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Representatives for the Florida Highway Patrol, Newbury High School, Alachua County Fire Rescue and Bradford County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Monday.

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