Two Broward Sheriff's Office deputies have been disciplined after an internal review of an August 2024 high-speed Tesla crash that killed two women. The findings say the deputies did not deliberately chase the car, but supervisors still faulted them for how they used discretion around the encounter, while the Tesla's driver remains charged in the deadly pileup.
Internal affairs clears deputies of pursuit but flags policy misuse
BSO's Internal Affairs unit concluded the deputies were not engaged in a formal vehicle pursuit and that the Tesla driver was the primary cause of the crash, but investigators still found the deputies violated the agency's discretion policy. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the review resulted in short suspensions and official reprimands laid out in disposition memos.
How the crash unfolded
On Aug. 11, 2024, a 2023 Tesla Model 3 T-boned a Dodge Durango at the intersection of Northwest Sixth Street and Northwest 27th Avenue in unincorporated Central Broward, killing the Durango's driver and a passenger and leaving a juvenile seriously hurt, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office news release. The impact triggered a multi-vehicle chain reaction that sent one car rolling and left the Tesla and Durango crashing through a chain-link fence near a cemetery, Broward Sheriff's Office officials said.
Video, GPS and the disciplinary memos
Internal records reviewed by the Orlando Sentinel show the Tesla was traveling between 85 and 91 mph in a 35-mph zone and ran a red light before the collision, while surveillance video and GPS data indicate marked BSO units accelerated to maximum speeds of about 76 and 83 mph. A traffic-homicide detective concluded the deputies were not pursuing the Tesla, the paper reports, but disposition memos state they still violated the department's discretion rules. Deputy Mark Sugg received an 8-hour suspension without pay, while Deputy Nicholas Marciante received a 16-hour suspension, according to those memos. The Tesla driver, identified in charging documents, faces multiple felony and misdemeanor counts and remains in the Broward main jail as criminal proceedings continue, per court records cited by the Sentinel.
Criminal case moves forward
Gavin Dorvil, 19, pleaded not guilty to 11 charges stemming from the crash - including two counts of vehicular homicide and multiple fleeing-and-eluding counts - in a Broward courtroom, according to reporting from The Royal Gazette. Local reporting from WPLG Local 10 details his arrest at Broward Health Medical Center and notes investigators say excessive speed was a factor in the collision.
Why it matters
The episode has stirred up familiar questions about how law enforcement balances officer safety and public risk when drivers take off, and it illustrates how internal reviews can land in a different place than criminal courts. The Broward Sheriff's Office has not released a full public copy of its internal-review memos, and newsroom requests for additional comment were routed to the agency's public information office, which previously provided initial statements after the crash.
