The quiet night in Palm Beach County, Florida took a tragic turn when a driver fleeing from police caused a pile-up on Lantana Road and Congress Avenue that resulted in a fatality. The incident occurred around 10:00 p.m. and left a trail of destruction in its wake.
According to a police report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the driver, identified as Raekwon Johnson, was fleeing southbound on Congress Ave. after running a red light. The chase began with Atlantis Police in pursuit of Johnson, who was determined to evade capture at all costs.
As the events unfolded, a second vehicle driven by Sacha Rukin was traveling eastbound on Lantana Rd. and entered the intersection at Congress Ave. Unfortunately, Rukin’s path intersected with Johnson’s reckless driving, leading to a catastrophic collision.
The report details how Johnson disregarded the red light at the intersection, causing his car to collide with Rukin’s vehicle. The impact sent Rukin’s car spinning southbound, where it collided with a third vehicle, setting off a chain reaction of collisions involving multiple vehicles.
The chaos of the pile-up left Rukin’s vehicle straddling the northbound turn lane, while Johnson’s car came to a rest in the crosswalk. Despite the devastation left in his wake, Johnson attempted to flee the scene but was eventually apprehended by Atlantis Police.
Tragically, the injuries sustained by Rukin proved fatal, adding a somber note to the already harrowing incident. A total of 10 people were involved in the pile-up, each experiencing the terrifying impact of the crash in their own way.
One eyewitness to the crash, Wilmar Sanchez, shared his experience of being caught in the chaos at the intersection of Lantana Rd. and South Congress Ave. Sanchez, who was in the car with his wife and children, described the moment of impact as he braced himself for the collision.
In a video captured by Sanchez at the scene, emergency responders can be seen using the jaws of life to extricate Rukin from her mangled vehicle. Despite the chaos unfolding around him, Sanchez attempted to assist Rukin, recounting the gruesome sight of her broken arm protruding from her wrist.
Further details emerged about Rukin’s evening leading up to the tragic accident, with her ex-husband revealing that she had been out to eat before heading to babysit their granddaughter. The sequence of events that followed ultimately led to the fatal crash that claimed her life.
Authorities investigating the incident confirmed that alcohol played a role in the fatal crash involving Johnson, shedding light on the reckless behavior that led to the tragic outcome. As the community grapples with the aftermath of the pile-up, the impact of the events of that fateful night will be felt for a long time to come.