ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — An 11-year-old girl was seriously injured in a crash involving a driver who sped off from a St. Petersburg police officer, authorities said.
The officer was conducting a traffic stop of an unregistered Mercedes SUV around 9 a.m. Monday on 1st Avenue South just east of 34th Street when its driver took off, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.
The driver, identified as 19-year-old Ajaye Morrer, ran a red light on 31st Street South before crashing into an oncoming minivan.
Two people inside the van, including the 11-year-old girl, were taken to the hospital, police said.
Police said the temporary tag on the Mercedes was fake and Morrer was not wearing a seatbelt.
Morrer faces several charges, including two counts of leaving the scene of a crash causing serious bodily injury and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
