4 people injured, including 13-year-old girl, after car crashes in Lake Worth police chase
Four people including a 13-year-old girl were critically or seriously injured Wednesday night after a car flipped upside down following a brief police chase that started in Lake Worth.
As of noon Thursday, the girl remained in critical condition at a local hospital.
A 28-year-old man and an 18-year-old man were in serious condition, while a 16-year-old boy who was in the car has been treated and released.
The chase started just after 9 p.m. Wednesday in Lake Worth when officers tried to stop a car for an equipment violation, police said in a news release.
The driver did not stop, and a short pursuit ensued that ended in about 60 seconds when the car hit a curb in the 2900 block of Northwest Centre Drive in Fort Worth.
The impact caused the driver to lose control and the car overturned in a nearby field, ejecting three people, Lake Worth police said.
Officers immediately began to render aid and placed a medical helicopter on standby.
While providing aid, officers determined that the vehicle was occupied by four people: 28-year-old Eric Conde, 18-year-old Xavier Lopez, a 16-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, Lake Worth police said. The girl is not related to the men or the male teen.
The possibility of a sexual assault connected to the incident is also being investigated, police said.
All four people who were in the car were taken to local hospitals by MedStar. The Lake Worth Fire Department and the Fort Worth Fire Department also responded.
In plain view around the vehicle, Lake Worth police said they found two loaded handguns, 22 grams of cocaine, 10 grams of black tar heroin, and other drug paraphernalia items.
22g cocaine, 10g black tar heroin, & 2 pistols were recovered from the vehicle. Three of the four occupants remain hospitalized in critical, but stable condition - including a 13 yo female who was unrelated to the occupants. The possibility of a sexual assault is also being… https://t.co/Ofy5Ka5zXI pic.twitter.com/3vW25DCcLG
— Lake Worth Police Department (@LakeWorthPD) February 16, 2023
A warrant check revealed that Conde was wanted for engaging in organized criminal activity out of Tarrant County, and Lopez was wanted for assault causing bodily injury (family violence) out of Austin County.
Criminal charges are anticipated, but no charges have been filed as of Thursday, Lake Worth police said.
As with all vehicle pursuits, the Lake Worth Police Department will conduct an administrative review of the incident.
