Florida teen ran red light going more than 100 mph in crash that killed 4, sheriff’s officials say

A Florida teenage driver was high on an illegal form of cannabis when he sped through a red light at more than 100 mph and caused a July crash that killed four people, authorities said.

Christopher Garrett, 17, of West Palm Beach is being charged as an adult and faces four counts of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in an arrest report. He remained in the Palm Beach County Jail on Wednesday. A judge set bond at $510,000.

Garrett was driving a Nissan Rogue SUV on July 30 when he ran a red light going more than 100 mph (161 kph) and collided with a vehicle that was turning left.

Killed in the collision were Garrett’s passengers, Jay’Oni Leonard, 14, and Alexia Simpson, 17, and the other driver, Elizabeth Anderson, 62, and her passenger, George Nienhouse, 65.

Garrett, Leonard and Simpson all lived in foster homes in the West Palm Beach area, Larry Rein, president and chief executive officer of the placement agency ChildNet, told The Palm Beach Post. They were not living in the same homes, he said.

An arrest report said that toxicology results from blood drawn at the hospital found Garrett was under the influence of Delta 9 THC, a psychoactive form of cannabinoid that is banned in Florida, the Post reported.

The sheriff’s office said the vehicle Garrett was driving had been reported stolent. West Palm Beach police spotted it and tried to stop the vehicle. But they stopped chasing shortly before the crash.

This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 10:08 AM.