BRADENTON, Fla. — Twelve vehicles have all been located after they were stolen from a Bradenton auto shop, the police department said.
According to Bradenton Police, investigators became aware of the auto theft around noon Sunday after a crash on 12th Avenue West.
In a video of the collision, the driver of a silver Ford Mustang, traveling at high speed, plows into the side of a pickup truck crossing the street. The Mustang catches fire immediately as it lands in the yard of a home at the intersection. The truck flips end-over-end and partially lands on the home’s roof.
Bernard Porter owns the home damaged in the fiery, intense crash.
“Tell you the truth? Do you want to know the truth? I was ready to kill,” he said. "That was basically what was on my mind.”
According to police, as they investigated the crash, they learned that both vehicles involved were stolen from a nearby body shop, Speedy Gonzalez Auto Collision, Sunday morning, along with at least 10 other vehicles.
“At least one — probably multiple suspects — took keys from the business and then took the cars from the property,” said Meredith Frameli, a public information officer for Bradenton Police. “What we’ve been able to gather so far is that these were teenagers or young adults, and they were out joyriding.”
Frameli said one juvenile driver involved in the crash was injured and will be charged after they are released from the hospital. Police are looking for the other driver, who got away, along with any others who were involved.
“I think it’s safe to say we’re going to have multiple suspects that we’ll be naming, hopefully, and eventually charging in this case,” she said. “These are serious crimes. We’re talking about burglary, motor vehicle theft, reckless, not to mention — anybody could have been killed in that accident. This isn’t funny. This is not just a fun game during the summer. This is very serious.”
As for Porter, he can’t say he’s mad at the suspected young people who damaged his home, where, when he's not working two separate jobs, he cares for his disabled mother.
However, he hopes they learn that actions can have serious consequences.
“Everybody makes bad choices, and everybody makes mistakes,” he said.
