OCALA, Fla. — It remains unclear if Marion County deputies followed policy when they pursued a man who crashed his car after running a red light on U.S. 301 Friday night, killing two women.
The two women were in a sport utility vehicle that was hit by a car that ran a red light fleeing deputies at the intersection of Southeast 132 Street Road at U.S. 301 around 10:30 p.m., the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Marion County firefighters pronounced both Brittany Chmilarski, 29, and Denise Allen, 57, dead at the scene.
The man fleeing deputies, Jaquard Cuyler, 26, died Wednesday, deputies said.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said Wednesday after the deadly crash, "The only person to blame for the crash and the deaths of the innocents involved was the driver who chose to flee. We have done a preliminary review of the incident and found that our deputies acted within our agency pursuit policy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this driver's reckless actions and horrific negligence, and we will continue to work with the Florida Highway Patrol during this investigation."
Kelly Pearo works at Annie's Bar next to the intersection and said the crash was a "mess."
"It was very loud," Pearo said. "When they hit this concrete pillar, it sounded like an explosion."
No deputies were hurt in the crash.
The intersection at Southeast 132 Street Road at U.S. 301 was closed for eight hours during the crash investigation, troopers said.
"When I came out here, there was steam coming out of the car. I don't think it was on fire, but it was where the radiator hit," said Pearo.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office said the chase was sparked when a car, driven by Cuyler, fled the area of Juniper Road and Baseline road, where deputies were conducting a criminal investigation.
MCSO would not elaborate on what that criminal investigation entailed.
Deputies tried to pull Cuyler over, but he sped away from deputies, starting the pursuit, deputies said.
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