ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police say a woman died two days before Christmas when a stolen vehicle flipped and landed on top of the car she was in.
Officers said it happened around noon on West Central Boulevard and Westmoreland Drive.
Detectives arrested two men who they say ran a red light in a stolen red vehicle then hit one car before flipping over and landing on another. A third person who was also in the suspect vehicle was ejected and hospitalized, according to police.
Investigators said the incident started on Westmoreland Drive and Colyer Street when the suspects were riding in a stolen red car, then fled the scene after seeing a police car.
“It appears to be when the suspect vehicle first got spooked, it ended up hitting a marked (patrol) car at Colyer and Westmoreland and started fleeing northbound,” Orlando police Sgt. David Baker said.
The stolen red car ended up crashing on Central Boulevard and Westmoreland Drive, which is a few blocks away.
“The suspect vehicle ran the red light northbound at Westmoreland, causing the crash. At that point the suspect vehicle flipped and landed on top of the black car. It was stationary heading southbound on Westmoreland," Baker said.
A woman who was in the front passenger’s seat of the black car died as a result of the crash, according to police. The woman who was driving the vehicle suffered serious injuries.
Police said they’re investigating the cause of the crash and initial reports say detectives were not pursing the red car, though an investigation is underway.
Witnesses heard the aftermath.
“I just saw a whole bunch of cops,” said Cesear, who works nearby. “Boom, boom, boom, boom that’s what made me come out, like, what the heck is happening?”
News 6 spoke with the owner of the red car. He said his car was stolen from his friend’s house last Wednesday.
“It’s not fair. It’s not fair, man,” he said.
Orlando police haven’t yet released the names of the victims or suspects involved.
They said Monday evening that driver of the stolen vehicle suffered moderate injuries and a male passenger who is also under arrest suffered serious injuries.
A woman who was ejected from the stolen vehicle during the crash suffered serious injuries and is being treated as a trauma alert. She is not under arrest.