Report: Wildwood officer pursued suspect over dark tint before fatal crash

WILDWOOD, Fla. — Window tint is what led Wildwood police to start following a driver who investigators said later struck and killed an innocent woman, according to a report.

Troopers said Anthony Brown was trying to get away from Wildwood police when he caused a chain-reaction crash Tuesday that took the life of 55-year-old Laura Price.

According to a report, an officer was on Jackson Street and noticed the tint on Brown’s white BMW was too dark.

The officer followed the suspect, who then sped up and blew through a stop sign, the report said.

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The officer said he recognized the vehicle and said it had “run from myself or other officers” in the past.

The officer activated his emergency sirens and began to pursue the suspect.

Speeds reached 80 mph and the chase went from Jackson to Kilgore streets and the onto County Road 219.

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The officer said in the report he realized they were approaching State Road 44 and that he began to “disengage and decrease my vehicle speed.”

He said the suspect kept going and eventually he lost sight of the BMW.

Brown then crashed into several vehicles, including Price’s SUV, before his vehicle got stuck under a tractor-trailer, police said.

The SUV flipped on its roof.

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Officers found a loaded AK-47 in the vehicle.

A new policy for police chases went into effect two weeks ago.

The old one stated police could only chase for forcible felonies, but the new policy allows officers to pursue people for reckless driving and fleeing and eluding.

Watch: Victim's family speaks out

Cox Media Group