On June 19, 2016, there were a series of motor vehicle accidents in the West bound lanes of Colonial Boulevard between US41 and McGregor Boulevard. Based on the sworn statements and depositions of those involved, we know there were multiple motorcycles involved, that were riding together in a pack. From the 911 report, we have gleaned there were at least six members of the motorcycle pack riding together.
The racing motorcycles left from the parking lot of Dick’s Sporting goods close to 11 pm that night, about 6 hours after Dick’s Sporting Goods closed. The original statements in the media were that two of the people involved were “coming home from work” and the implication was made that they worked at Dick’s Sporting Goods. There has been no evidence that either of them were actually coming home from work, or that either of them worked at Dick’s Sporting Goods, that closed approximately 6 hours earlier.
It does appear this pack of motorcycles meets regularly with the intent to break the law at high speed in residential areas of Lee County. There have been a number of stories on these groups with FHP and a local “news” station regarding the routine reckless behavior of this group.
Despite claims in the media of two vehicles being involved, discovery from the SaO and FMPD shows that there were two trucks involved. According to witnesses there was a white Dodge Ram 1500 with a camper top that witnesses were adamant there description was exact, and a white Toyota Tundra, with no top.
We know from witness reports, the Ram was travelling South on DeLeon, turning right/West on Colonial. The Ram then headed left/South on McGregor following the accidents.
From the discovery including the cell phone towers, we know the Toyota had come from East of 41 on Colonial, and headed right/North on McGregor.
Paint Match reports from the FDLE show that the motorcycle involved in Accident 1, did not make contact with the Toyota, as claimed by the one of the two arresting officers. The other arresting officer has since been arrested for fabricating evidence, filing false charges against people and a number of other crimes.
Sworn statements and depositions show it was the Ram that motorcycle made contact with. Despite knowing this information, the officer that has not yet been arrested, stated in sworn statements under oath used to obtain arrest warrants that the paint match came back positive as a match for the Toyota, and pretended that the eyewitness reports were actually for the Toyota. Essentially, she conveniently swapped the Ram for the Toyota in her reports so she could arrest innocent people.
Based on the discovery, we know there were four accidents. However, based on the arguments from the state, it appears there was a fifth accident.
Accident 1. The one Yamaha YFZ R6 [check model number] motorcycle, let’s call him M1, collides with the Ram. Other motorcycles are also believe to have made physical contact with the Ram as they swarmed the Ram.
All of the motorcycles flee the scene at high speed. Per the deposition, Bernal states the rider of M1 hits the accelerator hard, he “goosed it.”
M1 proceeds to cause three more accidents down the road.
Accident 2. The rider of M1 and hits the curb and flies of his bike at high speed.
Accident 3. While flying through the air, the rider of M1 hits a sign post with such force he tears it out with his body.
Accident 4. The rider of M1 together with the sign post hit a palm tree in the median.
Accident 5. We believe the Ram was attempting to chase down the pack of motorcycles fleeing the scene, and accidentally struck the Toyota further down the boulevard on the Toyota’s driver’s door.
At this point the 911 reports, sworn statements and depositions show the pack of motorcycles made a u-turn and returned to Accident Scene 4.
At this point after the Ram struck the Toyota, we believe the Ram gave up chasing the fleeing motorcycles and took a left on McGregor Boulevard.
As the truck that struck the Toyota had left the scene, the Toyota continued to its intended destination.
One of the pack of motorcycles that we believed caused the first accident, called 911. He referred to the dead body of the rider of M1, who struck the curb, sign post and then palm tree with such force he severed his spine in two places in his back and one place in his neck. The ME’s report could did state which impact caused death. However, it appears he was dead by the time his body hit the ground.
We believe the 911 caller may have caused the first accident together with the rider of M1 and the other pack riders. Despite this caller’s confirmation to the 911 operator at this time that is was a body, and what is obvious in the ME’s report, the caller still made a point of making up a story and repeating it on the local “news” that the rider of M1 died in his arms.
Keep in mind that this caller pretended not to know the rider of M1 or the other riders. However, in a statement under oath he stated they all left from Dick’s Sporting Goods together. When asked for the contact information for other riders involved in the accident, he magically produced the names and phone numbers of the riders he pretended not to know.
All of the riders fled the scene when the police arrived at 11:03 pm. The 911 call was initiated at 11:01 pm. During that time it appears the caller was on the call the whole time. The call was recorded. There was nothing on the call about the caller asking for or receiving the information of the other riders that fled the four accident scenes.
One of the riders had his mother return him to the scene. It appears most of these riders were teenagers. We expect his mother returned him to the scene as he most likely had damage to his motorcycle from Accident 1, they did not want the officers to see.
We are told the rider of M1 has as many as four arrests for reckless riding in a relatively short period of time. Additionally we have been informed a judge took away his license for up to 2 years, as result, and that he received his license back shortly before these accidents occurred. However, the courts have sealed those very relevant records for some reason, and kept those records from the parties the state claims is involved. Although those records should have been part of discovery, they were not.
The FDLE’s paint match experts have proven M1 and the Toyota never made contact. However, M1 made contact with some vehicle.
The FDLE’s cell phone records and analysis coupled with the statements from the “witnesses” prove the path of the Toyota, either entering the road or the direction left in, are dramatically different than (the opposite of) the false claims made under oath by the officer to obtain the warrants.
The people who actually fled the accident scenes were never arrested.
The officer and assistant state attorney instead attempted lump four accidents into one, hide evidence, hold back discovery, and pin false charges onto the one truck it was proven was NOT involved in the accident. Additionally, they assumed Costello was driving that truck, which there was no evidence of.
This is just where the story starts. It gets far more interesting from here.