A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on a felony murder charge, weeks after he allegedly ran a stop sign while fleeing the scene of a robbery and crashed into another vehicle, killing an elderly couple.
Earlier this week, the Ocala Police Department announced the arrest of Estiben Garcia-Luis, 17, in connection with the fatal collision that occurred at the intersection of SW 38th Street and SW 67th Avenue Road on Friday, May 8.
Investigators stated that Garcia-Luis was driving a Ford Mustang at a high rate of speed when he failed to stop at a stop sign. His car then proceeded to crash into a Ford Explorer that was occupied by a husband and wife in their 70s.
The elderly couple was transported to a local hospital, where they later died from injuries sustained in the collision.
According to OPD, an investigation reportedly revealed that moments before the fatal impact, Garcia-Luis and another individual were allegedly involved in a robbery at the Ocala Sportsplex.
After reviewing video surveillance footage and gathering statements from all parties involved, an OPD detective reportedly determined that the Mustang “fled the scene of the robbery immediately prior to the fatal collision.”
OPD stated that the detective further concluded that Garcia-Luis “participated in the robbery and was attempting to flee” when the deadly crash occurred.
Since the elderly couple’s deaths occurred during the commission of a felony, the detective established probable cause to charge Garcia-Luis with two counts of third-degree murder.
Garcia-Luis was subsequently taken into custody by Ocala police and booked into Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody without bond.
The agency noted that the investigation into the robbery and fatal crash remains active and ongoing.