Suspected car thief killed in rollover crash: MCSO

PALMETTO, Fla. - An 18-year-old who is accused of stealing a car in Hillsborough County was killed in a crash while driving it into Palmetto, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

What we know:

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received an alert about a stolen vehicle out of Hillsborough County that was traveling south on U.S. 41 into Palmetto around 8 p.m. on Monday.

Deputies located the stolen Honda Accord in the 4900 block of U.S. 41, confirmed it was stolen and began following it.

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Deputies tried to pull it over in the 1000 block of U.S. 41 after additional deputies arrived.

According to MCSO, the driver initially slowed down but then made a U-turn at the intersection of 7th Street and U.S. 41 before turning east onto 17th Street East.

Dig deeper:

Deputies said the stolen vehicle was about half a mile ahead of them when it rammed into the back of another car in the 1800 block of 17th Street East in Palmetto.

The impact, according to deputies, caused the stolen vehicle to spin out of control and roll several times. The other vehicle came to rest in the front yard of a nearby home.

Fire rescue personnel extricated the driver of the stolen vehicle, identified as 18-year-old Michael Jerome Austin of Ruskin, who was unconscious.

He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The other driver, a 24-year-old woman, was also taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.