HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office in Brooksville now has $16,000 worth of estimated damage to fix after a 16-year-old allegedly drove into the side of the building Friday night.
The teen and his father were at New Beginnings Youth Shelter before the teen returned to the black Toyota RAV4 the pair had arrived in and left,
the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Reportedly, a deputy saw the RAV4 traveling eastbound on Sheriff Mylander Way in Brooksville without its headlights on.
According to the report, a traffic stop was attempted in the area of Cortez Boulevard and Horse Lake Road, but as the deputy approached the vehicle the teen drove off.
Teen crashes into Hernando County Sheriff's Office
Less than an hour later around 11:27 p.m., a crash occurred near the west side of the building by a rear entrance, the sheriff's office explained in a statement.
"The driver exited the vehicle and then made a statement about wanting to commit self-harm," deputies explained in a statement.
After the crash, deputies were able to contact the teen's father. He reportedly told deputies he never called the police because he thought the teen was planning on returning home.
The teen was taken into protective custody under the Baker Act and will later face charges of fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer, criminal mischief, battery on a law enforcement officer and trespassing.
No additional information is available at this time.