An 18-year-old Ruskin man driving a stolen vehicle died Monday night after fleeing from deputies and crashing into another car in Palmetto, authorities said.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office identified the driver as Michael Jerome Austin. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 9:12 p.m. following the collision.
The incident began shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, when deputies received an alert regarding a Honda Accord reported stolen out of Hillsborough County. The vehicle was traveling southbound in the 7300 block of U.S. 41 near Palmetto.
Deputies located the sedan in the 4900 block of U.S. 41 and confirmed its status before attempting a traffic stop in the 1000 block. According to the sheriff’s office, Austin initially slowed down but then made a U-turn at the intersection of 7th Street and U.S. 41. He then turned east onto 17th Street East.
Austin was approximately half a mile ahead of pursuing deputies when he struck the rear of another vehicle in the 1800 block of 17th Street East, investigators said.
The impact caused the stolen Honda to spin out of control and roll several times.
Evidence at the scene Tuesday showed the stolen vehicle appeared to have crashed through a fence at Test Gauge, a plumbing backflow supply company. Tire tracks and disturbed grass marked the path where the vehicle presumably rolled before coming to rest.
The second vehicle, driven by a 24-year-old woman, was forced off the road and came to a stop in the front yard of a nearby residence. Skid marks on the street appeared to lead toward the home, which is fronted by two large trees. Neither the house nor the trees appeared to sustain damage.
Fire rescue personnel extricated Austin from the wreckage. He was found unconscious and transported to the hospital, where he later died.
The 24-year-old female driver was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
