Three people were killed on Thursday afternoon, and another person was critically injured, after a 33-year-old Ocala woman stole a Marion County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle and crashed into a pickup truck while fleeing from law enforcement.
At around 2 p.m., a deputy responded to the Forest Plaza located in the 15900 block of E Highway 40 in Silver Springs in reference to a suspicious incident involving a woman. According to the sheriff’s office, the woman, later identified as Kendra Dalyn Boone, had allegedly attempted to take an elderly victim’s keys.
The deputy soon arrived on scene, made contact with Boone, and instructed her to go to the rear of the patrol vehicle.
Moments later, the deputy exited the patrol vehicle, and Boone quickly entered the vehicle through the passenger side. She then climbed into the driver’s seat, and the deputy immediately attempted to remove her from the vehicle.
Despite the deputy’s efforts, Boone remained in the patrol vehicle, and she fled from the scene at a high rate of speed, according to the sheriff’s office.
Another deputy arrived in the area as Boone fled in the patrol vehicle, and the deputy initiated a pursuit. MCSO stated that Boone fled eastbound on E Highway 40 for several miles before making a U-turn near the weigh station located just west of Highway 19.
Additional deputies positioned themselves ahead of the pursuit to deploy spike strips on E Highway 40. However, prior to reaching the spike strips, Boone performed another U-turn and began to flee eastbound on E Highway 40 at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, according to MCSO.
The sheriff’s office stated that Boone continued to drive erratically during her attempt to evade law enforcement, and the pursuing deputy lost visual contact with the stolen patrol vehicle on numerous occasions.
Upon reaching the 26700 block of E Highway 40, Boone left the roadway and traveled onto the right shoulder in an attempt to pass a semi-truck. As she re-entered the roadway, she lost control of the patrol vehicle, veered into the oncoming lane, and collided head-on with a 2016 GMC pickup truck, according to MCSO.
As deputies arrived on scene, they discovered that Boone and the three occupants of the pickup truck were unresponsive.
Boone sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper noted in the accident report that she was not wearing a seatbelt.
Two of the pickup truck’s occupants – a 73-year-old man (driver) and 72-year-old woman (passenger), both from Waterloo, South Carolina – were also killed in the crash. A second unidentified passenger was transported to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital in critical condition, according to FHP.
All lanes of E Highway 40, between Forest Road 88 and Highway 19, were temporarily closed after the crash while FHP conducted an investigation. The roadway has since been reopened in both directions.
The names of the pickup truck’s occupants were not released by the Florida Highway Patrol.