POLK COUNTY, Fla. — An 18-year-old driver was arrested after causing a serious crash Sunday morning in Polk County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash happened around 12:17 a.m. near the intersection of Ronald Reagan Parkway and Pine Tree Trail.
FHP said a red 2015 Ford Mustang going 80 mph in a 45-mph zone on Ronald Reagan Parkway near Champions Gate Boulevard caught a trooper's attention. The trooper attempted to pull over the car but lost it.
As the trooper came to the intersection of Ronald Reagan Parkway and Pine Tree Trail, he saw that the Mustang had crashed into a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder.
Serious crash in Polk County
FHP said the driver and a passenger of the Mustang ran from the crash. The passenger was eventually located, but the driver was able to get away. Authorities also discovered a second passenger in the back seat of the Mustang.
Both passengers, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, were transported to the hospital.
The driver of the Pathfinder, a 22-year-old woman, and her passenger, a 21-year-old woman, remain in the hospital in serious condition Monday morning.
In an update, troopers said the Mustang driver, 18-year-old Ramon Santiago-Garcia, was arrested Sunday afternoon at this home in Haines City and transported to the Polk County Jail. He is charged with reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury.