HAINES CITY, Fla. — A 19-year-old has been arrested after detectives said he was driving 104 miles per hour before crashing and killing a passenger in the car.
Damien Fletcher is charged with vehicular homicide, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
Another 19-year-old who was inside the car on June 29 died as a result of the crash. That person's 16-year-old brother was also hurt, according to authorities.
"He killed his friend, and injured his friend's brother," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video.
The crash happened at around 10:30 p.m. During the initial investigation, Fletcher told detectives "he lost control of the Jeep while trying to avoid hitting an animal." However, data received showed the Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling 104 miles per hours in a 55 miles per hour speed zone less than two seconds before the crash, the sheriff's office reported.
"Reckless, stupid driving—plain and simple," Judd said in a statement.
In addition, authorities said the data showed no braking or steering to match the claim of trying to avoid an animal. Witnesses also told responding deputies that the Jeep sped past them in a no-passing zone and the Jeep shut it's headlights off before the crash.
Fletcher learned of the new findings and confirmed them to be true, the Polk County Sheriff's Office reports. He was arrested soon after.
