A 21-year-old man is accused of leading Florida Highway Patrol troopers on a high-speed chase through Palm Beach County that topped out at 134 mph before he ditched the SUV and ran off into the night. Troopers say Jason Luis Gonzalez was behind the wheel of a black BMW SUV that blew past a trooper at nearly triple the posted speed limit, setting off a pursuit that stretched from a city street onto I-95 before ending in a Lake Worth Beach yard.
According to WPBF, the chase began around 10:15 p.m. on Aug. 13 when a trooper spotted the BMW traveling east on Southern Boulevard near Kirk Road. The trooper clocked the SUV at 80 mph in a 50 mph zone, and when the trooper attempted a stop, the driver briefly slowed before hitting the gas and speeding off, per the station's report.
Speeds Topped 134 MPH on Two Separate Roads
The BMW allegedly reached about 134 mph on Southern Boulevard, then matched that same speed again while racing south on I-95, the same account states. The vehicle eventually exited the interstate at Sixth Avenue, where a trooper used a PIT maneuver to force it to a stop, ending the highway portion of the pursuit.
After the maneuver, the SUV veered through a grassy area and backed through a wooden fence before becoming disabled near Sixth Avenue and Griswold Drive in Lake Worth Beach, the same outlet reports. Troopers identified Gonzalez as the suspected driver, and the warrant affidavit states he got out of the vehicle and ran from troopers once it stopped moving. Two passengers also fled the SUV on foot but were later detained; Gonzalez was not caught at the scene.
Gun, Drugs and Scale Found Inside the SUV
During an inventory search of the BMW, a trooper reported finding a loaded Glock 19X handgun along with 10 THC vape cartridges, a digital scale, plastic bags and two containers holding a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. The suspected marijuana was listed as weighing approximately 100.5 grams and 124 grams, according to the warrant affidavit cited by the same report. FHP said the entire chase and investigation were captured on an in-car camera system.
Charges Outlined in the Warrant
The warrant affidavit lists a string of charges against Gonzalez, including fleeing and eluding at high speed, reckless driving, resisting an officer without violence, and driving with a suspended or revoked license, along with drug- and weapon-related offenses, per the affidavit described by the same account. Under Florida law, willfully fleeing or attempting to elude an officer is a third-degree felony, while fleeing at high speed or with wanton disregard for safety escalates to a second-degree felony, according to Florida Statutes section 316.1935.
High-speed BMW chases have made headlines elsewhere in South Florida recently. In Miami Lakes, a driver was accused of reaching speeds exceeding 130 mph before losing control of his BMW and overturning during a separate FHP pursuit, as reported by local10.com. In another Palm Beach County case, a pursuit involving FHP and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office ended in a crash followed by a standoff, according to cbs12.com.
