OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A 911 call from a 17-year-old girl who said she was being chased and shot at by her ex-boyfriend ended in a violent crash outside the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Monday night.
Just after 11 p.m., deputies received a 911 call from the teen, who reported her ex-boyfriend was chasing her and firing shots at the car she was riding in.
“We received a 911 call from a 17-year-old woman stating that she was a passenger in a vehicle, that her ex-boyfriend was chasing her, inside the vehicle she was with a male occupant, her friend. As they were being chased, he was shooting at the vehicle,” Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kim Montes said.
Investigators say the teen’s family told them the two had recently broken up.
According to Montes, the teen and the 20-year-old male driver did everything right, even attempting to drive directly to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office parking lot to seek safety, while the 17-year-old remained on the phone with 911.
The chase began on Partin Settlement Road, where the suspect, 21-year-old Christian Andres Rivera of St. Cloud, fired shots into the passenger side of the victims’ white 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer.
“The victim did exactly what she needed to do. She got on the phone with 911. They tried to stay calm. They tried to come here, but he was behind them. So they had to keep moving because of the shots fired,” Montes said.
Montes explained that Rivera, driving a 2006 BMW 330i, followed them out onto US-192, where he rammed the Mitsubishi from behind, sending it out of control into the eastbound lanes, directly into the path of a responding deputy’s marked OCSO pickup truck.
The deputy was treated and released from the hospital with a slight concussion. Both the 17-year-old and the 20-year-old driver — both from Kissimmee — had to be extricated from the vehicle and were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Both remain hospitalized.
Investigators confirmed the teen sustained a gunshot wound in addition to injuries from the crash.
“We do have bullet holes in the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle. We do believe the victim was shot,” Montes said. “Very lucky that this did not end up in a fatal situation.”
After the crash, Montes said that Rivera fled onto the Florida Turnpike, even turning off his headlights to avoid being caught, before making his way to a relative’s home in St. Cloud.
Deputies arrived at the residence and took Rivera into custody without incident. He was booked into the Osceola County Jail on two counts of attempted murder.
“We have numerous other charges. Shooting into an occupied vehicle, fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of a crash,” Montes said.
Despite the chaos, Montes credited the 20-year-old driver with potentially saving the teen’s life.
“They were trying to come to a safe place, but he was on their tail, and they were trying to get away from again. The male driver did a phenomenal job of trying to keep moving to keep her safe,” Montes said.
Additional charges against Rivera are possible as the investigation continues. He is expected to appear in court on Wednesday