ABILENE, Texas — UPDATE (7:32 p.m. Wednesday): The 13-year-old driver of the stolen car in Wednesday morning's fatal crash was released from the hospital Wednesday evening and immediately taken to the police department to be interviewed.
He has been charged with theft of property, evading arrest, directive to apprehend and murder and was transported to the Taylor County Juvenile Detention Center.
The 14-year-old boy was transported to a Lubbock hospital for treatment of burns to his body. The 15-year-old boy was treated at Hendrick Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.
After further investigation, traffic investigators determined the 13-year-old boy who died in the crash was not ejected, as was originally reported by the department.
The names of the teens will be withheld because of their ages. This investigation is ongoing.
ORIGINAL STORY: A 13-year-old boy died early Wednesday morning after being ejected from a car that crashed into a traffic pole. Abilene Police say the car was stolen earlier Wednesday morning.
The APD's Traffic Division is investigating the fatal crash involving the stolen car and four teenagers, one of whom died after being taken to the hospital.
At 3:09 a.m. Wednesday, a 2018 Audi S5 coupe was reported to have been involved in a crash by the car’s Bosch system (similar to OnStar), which showed the crash was in the 1300 block of Ross Avenue, but responding officers were unable to find the car.
At approximately 3:40 a.m., a concerned parent reported their son and others were livestreaming on social media in a stolen Audi. It was believed the teens were headed to the Dallas area.
At approximately 3:50 a.m., the owner of the stolen Audi called to report his car missing from his home on Highland Avenue.
At approximately 3:57 a.m., the Callahan County Sheriff’s Office reported a theft at a Clyde convenience store, where it was believed the teens in the stolen Audi were involved. At that time, the last known direction of travel was westbound towards Abilene.
At approximately 4:07 a.m., Abilene Police officers found the occupied car at a north side hotel near Highway 351 and Interstate 20. The car hit an unoccupied patrol vehicle. A second officer at the scene activated the vehicle’s emergency lights in an attempt to stop the stolen car. The driver did not stop and left the hotel's parking lot, going westbound on Highway 351 toward Ambler Avenue.
Officers did not actively chase the stolen car, which was reportedly last seen westbound on Ambler Avenue.
At approximately 4:09 a.m., the Audi was involved in a major vehicle crash at the intersection of Ambler Avenue and Treadaway Boulevard. The car was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed when it crashed - hitting a traffic pole.
The officers and MetroCare, who were nearby, immediately started rendering aid, extracting the injured and fire suppression.
The APD said there were four teenagers in the car:
• 13-year-old boy, who was driving the vehicle
• 13-year-old boy, who died after being ejected from the vehicle (reported runaway)
• 14-year-old boy
• 15-year-old boy (reported runaway)
The 13-year-old driver of the stolen car faces multiple felony charges and the APD said there may be other charges related to the incident, pending the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the department’s Investigations Bureau at 325-676-6610.
The Abilene Independent School District released a statement Wednesday morning regarding the death of one of its students:
"The Abilene ISD Family is incredibly saddened by the death of one of our students who passed away early this morning in an off-campus accident. Our deepest condolences go out to this student’s family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the families and friends of three other students who were injured in this accident.
Abilene ISD crisis response staff and guidance counselors will be available to provide support to those affected by this tragedy at two summer school campuses, Clack and Craig middle schools, until 3:00 p.m. today and tomorrow. We also encourage our parents to take this opportunity to support and talk with your students about what happened and to listen to feelings they may have.
Please contact us if there is anything we can do to support you or your child at this time."
