A woman fleeing from Lake County authorities crashed head-on into another vehicle, killing the driver, herself and her unborn child, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said.
Lake County deputies said a street crimes unit was watching a known drug house and saw Mylinda Martinez, 27, who was pregnant, leave the house at about 6:45 p.m.
Authorities said they were trying to pull Martinez over for a traffic infraction when she drove away on State Road 473 in her KIA. Martinez turned onto County Road 44 and then onto State Road 441.
Deputies said Martinez maneuvered past the stop sticks on CR 441 and headed into Leesburg. Martinez was traveling south on County Road 33 when she hit another set of stop sticks and lost control of the car, deputies said.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — All five deputies involved in the chase have been placed on administrative leave.
Authorities said Martinez drove into the north lane and hit another car, killing the driver, Kimberly King, 46, of Groveland. A family friend said the victim was fewer than two miles from her home.
"Anytime anyone needed a place to stay she opened her home to them and now they have to figure out how to pick up these pieces, and how do you do that without your glue?" family friend Haleema Sykes said. "When I think about that little boy losing his Mimi, it just tears me apart because she wasn't just a mother. She mothered everybody."
Skyes said when she heard of King's death, her heart sunk for the victim's husband, children and grandchildren.
Officials said they don't know how fast Martinez and deputies were driving during the pursuit.
“Deputies are authorized to pursue as long as they believe a crime is being committed, and really, in any pursuing situation, the deputies have to weigh the importance of stopping the violator against the hazards that the pursuit itself is creating,” said Lt. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said it is not known what was in the car that Martinez was driving or why she didn't stop.
Deputies said Martinez’s license had been revoked and that she was a known drug user. They said she had rolled past a stop sign, which gave them reasonable cause to pull her over.
Cox Media Group
