Driver of stolen Jeep dies in I-75 crash
Austin L. Miller @almillerosb
Feb 8, 2019 at 12:48 AM Feb 8, 2019 at 12:56 PM
OPD releases on-dash video showing the police pursuit that ended in the crash.
A man driving a stolen SUV was killed late Thursday when the vehicle ran off Interstate 75, overturned, and he was ejected.
The driver was identified as Evan Ian Smith, 50, of Inverness, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred on I-75 northbound near Mile Marker 355, roughly a mile north of the U.S. 27 interchange.
Ocala police officials said the 2001 Jeep Cherokee had been reported stolen from the 3600 block of West Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala at 10:11 a.m. Thursday.
Thomas McKnight, the vehicle's owner, told a police officer the vehicle usually sits in front of his trailer and it has an expired tag because he doesn't drive it. McKnight said about a week ago, with assistance from Smith, they jumped the vehicle off. He said he let the jeep continue to idly run for about 20 minutes, then turned it off.
McKnight said he remembers giving the jeep's key to Smith and doesn't remember Smith returning the keys. McKnight said he gave Smith a ride to another location.
McKnight told the officer that when he woke up Thursday morning, the jeep was missing.
At 10:33 p.m., Ocala police Officer Ferdinand Collazo had received information about the stolen vehicle from a dispatcher and drove around looking for it. He spotted the SUV in the 1100 block of West Silver Springs Boulevard and, once he had confirmed it was the vehicle, tried stopping it.
Smith ignored the officer and kept driving. Collazo was joined by Officer Dan. E. Wright and Sgt. Anthony Vizzini. With speeds reaching 85 to 90 mph, Smith continued to drive. The on-duty watch commander, Lt. Mike Sommer, told officers on the radio that only Wright, Colllazo and a supervisor should be involved in the pursuit and gave them authorization to leave the city, authorities said.
Police said the pursuit ended up on I-75 northbound. During the chase, Smith lost control of the Jeep and it veered onto the right shoulder, where it flipped several times, according to police officials.
The driver, who authorities said was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the Jeep, and the vehicle ended up against trees on east side of the interstate. Officers said the length of the pursuit was 4.21 miles.
Smith's body was found about 5 feet from the vehicle, officers said. He had a faint pulse and a laceration on his stomach. Collazo and other officers performed CPR until medical personnel arrived. Smith was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he died, OPD officials said.
The FHP's Florida Advanced Investigation Reconstruction team — known as FLAIR, a specialized team of investigators — was called to the scene to investigate.
"He (Smith) was a good guy, but he had a drug problem," McKnight told the Star-Banner.
In mid-October 2018, a woman drove up to the OPD headquarters and told officers Smith had passed out while she was driving. Authorities suspected Smith had overdosed. An officer gave Smith a dose of Narcan, a nasal form of naloxone, and he came around, police officials said.
He was taken to a hospital for treatment and was arrested upon release. He was wanted by the Marion County Sheriff's Office and Citrus County Sheriff's Office for criminal mischief, and had a violation of domestic violence probation from Citrus County.
Police officials said Smith had several warrants for his arrest, which include failure to appear for arraignment for driving while license is suspended or revoked.
The Ocala Police Department's pursuit policy states: "Ultimate control in the initiation and continuation of a pursuit is with the supervisor on duty while giving the involved officer continuous discretion to evaluate the evolving situation and determine whether to pursue or not."
A number of factors must be considered when deciding whether to initiate, continue or terminate a pursuit. Among them: time of day, volume of traffic and road conditions. Collazo told officials that traffic was light during the chase.
Police officials on Friday said the incident will be revived to see whether policies and procedures were followed.
Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb