2 Teens Arrested Following 100 mph Chase, Crash | News

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- What started as police chasing a suspect in a stolen truck ended when a car crashed into the front of the Jenkins Quality Barbecue on Edgewood Avenue.

According to Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Lt. Victor Pacheco, an officer in an unmarked cruiser was near the intersection of Edgewood and Commonwealth Avenues Monday around 4 p.m. when he noticed a truck that a records search indicated had been stolen.

The officer began to tail the truck as he radioed for assistance. An off-duty unit, this time in a marked vehicle, responded, Pacheco said.

When the second officer arrived, the first officer had already pulled the Ford F-350 over.

As the second vehicle approached, Pacheco said the suspect revved the truck's engine and rammed the marked police vehicle twice before driving away. The officer in the marked vehicle was treated for minor injuries, according to Pacheco.

Officers pursued the truck, which had two people inside.

According to the incident report, the truck reached speeds of 100 mph in a marked 40 mph zone, ran two red lights during the pursuit and drove in the wrong lanes.

Eventually the truck ran into the back of a vehicle that was parked in the barbecue business' parking lot. The impact pushed the Honda through the double-door entry.

The barbecue's manager said there were three employees inside the business at the time of the crash.  None of the employees were hurt, but the manager said they were shaken.

Witness Raymond Klien said he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the truck go flying by.

"Craziest thing I ever seen in my life. You see things like that all the time in the movies. You don't ever see anything like that right in front of you," he said.

This isn't the business' first time having to deal with property damage.  Back in 2004, a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Bonnie ripped through the restaurant. It took a year for it to reopen.

The drive-thru was open in time for lunch Tuesday.

The suspects fled into nearby restaurants following the crash.

The driver of the truck, 19-year-old William Earl Union, was caught in the restroom at Mcdonald's.  He faces charges of knowingly operating a vehicle with no license, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer (2 counts), theft of a motor vehicle and resisting an officer without violence.

He is being held without bond.  According to a separate JSO incident report, the truck used in the chase had been reported stolen Tuesday from a parking lot at Brooks Rehabilitation on University Avenue.

The passenger, 19-year-old Lawill Anthony Harris, was caught at a Taco Bell.  He is charged with resisting an officer without violence and trespass in occupied structure or conveyance.  He was released this morning on $5,000 bond.