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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Two street racers arrested for causing fatal crash on SR 200

Two men were arrested for street racing on State Road 200 and causing a fatal crash.

Earlier today, the Ocala Police Department announced that 30-year-old Joshua Jones and 52-year-old Mauricio Medina were arrested in connection to a fatal crash that occurred on Tuesday, October 12, 2021.

Two street racers arrested for causing fatal crash in October
Joshua Jones (left) and Mauricio Medina (right)

On October 12, just before 7 p.m., a 56-year-old man, Munir Shrouf, left the Red Lobster parking lot located in the 3300 block of State Road 200. He was driving a red Hyundai SUV, and his wife and daughter were also in the vehicle.

Shrouf was crossing the thoroughfare to make a left turn when his vehicle was struck by a Toyota Scion driven by Jones. Shrouf’s vehicle traveled westbound on State Road 200 and struck a concrete light pole on the northwest corner of SW 34th Avenue.

Fatality reported in three vehicle crash on SR 200 in Ocala
Munir Shrouf’s vehicle

The Toyota Scion and Honda Civic (driven by Medina) came to rest facing east in the westbound lanes of State Road 200, at the intersection of SW 34th Avenue.

Fatality reported in three vehicle crash on SR 200 in Ocala
The Toyota Scion (driven by Jones) and Honda Civic (driven by Medina)

According to OPD, there was on-scene evidence, witness statements, video, and the extensive damage to each vehicle which indicated that Jones and Medina were both traveling westbound at dangerous speeds.

OPD investigators discovered that Jones was traveling at 98 miles per hour and Medina was traveling at 96 miles per hour moments before the crash. Both vehicles appeared to be traveling in a manner that put the other drivers at risk with a disregard for the traffic conditions that were present at the time.

The area of State Road 200 where the crash occurred is heavily traveled, with six lanes and numerous driveway accesses. Video evidence from the time of the crash showed that there was heavy traffic due to it being close to the end of rush hour.

Medina and Jones were both transported to Marion County Jail, and they are facing a felony charge for vehicular homicide along with misdemeanor charges for racing on a highway and reckless driving.

A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, February 15 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.