STUART, Fla. — A police pursuit Thursday night ended in a "traffic fatality," Stuart police said.
In a news release to WPTV, Lt. David Duran, a spokesman for the Stuart Police Department, said an officer tried to pull a driver over at about 7:45 p.m.
"The vehicle's driver fled, and a vehicle pursuit ensued, which resulted in a traffic fatality," Duran said.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Jerauis Jean, 23, was driving a silver Toyota Corolla when a Stuart police officer attempted to stop him.
According to an arrest report, Jean "was fleeing at speeds exceeding 80 mph" as he drove southbound on U.S. Highway 1/SE Central Parkway in Stuart.
The FHP said Jean crashed into a Martin County transit bus and rear-ended a red BMW. The impact sent the BMW into the back of a black GMC Terrain, the arrest report said.
According to the FHP, the person who died was a 76-year-old man driving the BMW. A 74-year-old woman in the passenger seat of the car was taken to Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital with "incapacitating injuries."
Chris Donley owns The Driver's Seat, an auto accessory store, right across the street from the crash site and said the accident was tragic.
"It's sad to see that an innocent bystander got killed because of it all and the guy they were chasing is apparently OK," Donley said.
Jean was arrested and booked into Martin County jail.
He is facing charges of fleeing, disregarding safety resulting in injury and death, driving while license suspended and killing of a human being with a vehicle.
