Panhandle teen crashes stolen car into business, catches both on fire: Sheriff

Panhandle teen crashes stolen car into business, catches both on fire: Sheriff

A Panhandle teenager’s apparent attempt to elude police didn’t work out well when the stolen car he was reportedly driving crashed into a Crestview, Fla., business, caught fire and then set the building ablaze.

A vehicle reportedly stolen out of Destin, Fla., burned when the suspect driving it crashed into a building in Crestview Saturday night.

According to the Okaloosa County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office, deputies were alerted that a 2012 Nissan Altima reported stolen in Destin had triggered a license plate reader camera about 2 a.m. when the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Highway 90 near Crestview.

A deputy located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the car quickly accelerated and took off, with the deputy in pursuit.

About a mile into the chase, the driver — later identified as 18-year-old Mylik Rashad Jackson — lost control of the car and crashed into a building housing a hair salon. The car began smoking and deputies, assisted by Crestview police, located Jackson and another suspect on the ground near the driver’s door.

The suspects were pulled to safety and eventually taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.

The vehicle, meanwhile, had burst into flames and both the car and building were destroyed by the fire, according to the OCSO.

Jackson, a Crestview resident, is charged with grand theft auto, with bond set at $25,000. There is a hold on Jackson, however, for another agency on other charges, making him ineligible to post bond.

Charges are pending against the other suspect, who has not been identified.