BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — One woman is dead, and another is in custody following a multi-agency chase for a stolen vehicle on the Florida Turnpike on Thursday — the second fatal crash linked to a law enforcement pursuit in just two weeks.
The suspect, later identified as 52-year-old Anna Giza, led law enforcement on a chase that began in Deerfield Beach while she was driving a stolen truck that had a tracking device, per the Florida Highway Patrol.
According to WSVN, as Coconut Creek Police attempted to pull over her truck, she slammed into their police cruiser and a Broward County Sheriff’s Office cruiser, sparking the high-speed pursuit.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the chase ended after a PIT maneuver stopped the stolen truck near the Sunrise Boulevard exit, but not before it crashed into a black Altima, killing 70-year-old Bonnie Bouffard, who was behind the wheel.
Friends and coworkers knew something was wrong when Bouffard, a breast cancer survivor and billing department employee, didn’t show up for her shift.
“We all left work together yesterday, just didn’t even know last time I’d see her. But she was great, a great lady, a great friend,” Tara Lee, a friend of Bouffard, told WSVN. “She’s very funny, always had something sarcastic or witty to say. Didn’t deserve to happen.”
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Giza was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital. She is facing multiple felony counts, including felony murder, grand theft auto, aggravated battery, and assault.
Both the BSO deputy and the Coconut Creek officer, whose patrol cars were struck, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Bouffard is the second innocent driver killed in recent days in crashes linked to police pursuits. On February 16, 76-year-old Ronald Wilson was killed after deputies pursued Sean Holder, accused of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, according to CBS12 partners at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
BSO’s current policy allows deputies to initiate a chase when there is a reasonable belief that a forcible felony was committed or is being committed, which includes aggravated battery. Among the offenses deputies are prohibited from starting pursuits for is auto theft.
The policy says pursuits will be terminated, in part, when “the risks of continuing the pursuit appear to outweigh the risks of the suspect’s escape,” per the Sun-Sentinel.
BSO’s Homicide and Violent Crimes units, along with Internal Affairs, are investigating the incident. In line with department policy, the case will also be reviewed by BSO’s Pursuit Review Board.