PCSO: 5-year-old girl dies in crash with Auburndale police vehicle on emergency call
-A 5-year-old girl died Saturday night after the vehicle she was riding in collided with an Auburndale Police Department pickup truck that was responding to an emergency, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The crash occurred at 9:58 p.m. on U.S. 92 at Havendale Boulevard. Sgt. Danny Swan of the Auburndale Police Department was responding in emergency mode, with lights and sirens activated, to assist a deputy from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office involved in a physical altercation with a suspect, the PCSO release said.
The APD sergeant was driving a marked 2020 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
According to the preliminary investigation by the PCSO Traffic Homicide Unit, the APD truck was traveling east on U.S. 92 and the other vehicle, a blue 2016 Kia sedan, had been stopped for a red light on northbound Havendale Boulevard.
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When the light changed to green for northbound lanes, traffic held for the approaching police vehicle, multiple witness statements said, according to the PCSO release. The driver of the Kia, Jer’Manica Mike’Kecea Anglin, later told PCSO detectives that she heard the sirens but began to proceed into the intersection because the vehicle next to her moved forward.
The Kia crossed into the path of the police vehicle, and the two vehicles collided, the release said. The child, who had been riding in the rear seat, was taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Anglin was taken to a local hospital and treated for a broken wrist, the release said. The APD sergeant was not injured. Both drivers were wearing seat belts, but seat belt usage by the child is still being investigated, PCSO said.
The speeds of the vehicles had not been determined, a PCSO spokesperson said. Detectives will access vehicle computers to help determine speeds and if the child was using a seat belt, PCSO said.
No criminal charges are anticipated, and the investigation is ongoing, PCSO said.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: PCSO: 5-year-old girl dies in crash with Auburndale police vehicle
