Two people are dead after a car crashed into a house in Lakeland on Monday in what the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is calling a double homicide.
Sheriff Grady Judd said the crash happened Monday on Pirates Way at around 1:30 p.m.
A man named Paul, who didn’t want to share his last name, said the house involved is where he lives.
“According to the information we were given, the house was completely destroyed. They said the impact had been very strong and that the people driving the vehicle had died,” said Paul. “Worried because what if one of us had been there? I don’t know, something worse could have happened.”
The two deceased victims are the young man who was driving the Mercedes AMG that crashed into the home, and a 38-year-old man who was riding a bike that was hit by the car and shoved into the home.
Judd said that when first responders were removing the young man’s body from the car, they found a fatal bullet wound in his chest.
Authorities said the Mercedes entered the Secret Cove area and was approached by other young men who were seen talking with the driver. Judd said there is video of this interaction, and his office is working to identify the men.
The driver suddenly drove off down Pirates Way at a high speed and drove directly into the house, Judd said.
The victim, who was riding his bike, was shoved underneath the car, and Judd said they will need a wrecker to remove the vehicle before they can recover his body.
T F said the 38-year-old is his cousin.
“I’m shocked like totally. Like I said I went to see his body, that’s all I wanted to see his face,” said F. “loving, caring, working, all about himself and his kids and that’s probably it.”
The sheriff’s office was alerted by Mercedes’ emergency services, who called to report the crash.
Judd said that investigators recovered two gallon bags of marijuana in the Mercedes, as well as a large amount of cash.
“It appears at the early stages, they came there just to rip the man with the dope,” said Judd.
He said it was too early to determine if the incident was gang-related or not.
“Drugs drugs drugs, that’s all that’s going on right now. Everybody’s dying because of drugs,” said Frasier.
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Source: wfla
