Officer seriously injured after he was hit by a car while chasing a shoplifting suspect
A Boynton Beach police officer remains in serious condition Thursday morning after he was hit by a car on a busy thoroughfare while chasing down two shoplifting suspects.
The suspects, identified as Ryan Moody, 24, and Elyshia Wilson, 23, fled after police said they shoplifted from a Kohl’s department store on Wednesday afternoon. Moody was in the median on Gateway Boulevard outside of the Kohl’s at 1901 N. Congress Ave. when the 34-year-old officer spotted him while driving in his patrol car.
According to Boynton Beach Police Chief Michael Gregory, the officer pulled his vehicle over to a safe space and left it to pursue Moody. But when he did so, he was struck by a 2012 Toyota RAV4 heading east on Gateway and driven by Esther Servil, 31.
Gregory said Servil stayed and helped the injured cop until paramedics came. No charges have been filed, but the accident is still under investigation, the chief said.
“There was a lot of traffic,” Gregory said at a news conference. He said the driver “had a blind spot” and was “very shaken up.”
Gregory said the officer’s parents are with him at Delray Medical Center. The department hasn’t released his name.
“Right now, the prayers of the entire Boynton Beach Police Department are with our officer and his family as they move through the next 24-48 hours, which will be critical for him,” Gregory said in a statement, as he thanked fellow officers and the community for the “outpouring of support.”
“This incident serves as a reminder of the dangers officers face every day while working to keep the Boynton Beach community safe,” Gregory said.
Boynton Beach City Manager Lori LaVerriere issued a statement Thursday.
“This valued police officer exhibited unmatched bravery and commitment in the line of duty, and has been in my constant thoughts and prayers. The City of Boynton Beach is dedicated to supporting the officer and his family through this extremely difficult time,” she said.
According to the probable cause affidavit, officers responded to the Kohl’s store after several employees said they saw Moody and Wilson “working in concert” to conceal store items in a bag and leave without paying.
When Moody spotted officers approaching him after he’d left the store, he went back inside and dropped the bag, the report said.
Moody then ran from the store, through the parking lot and toward Gateway Boulevard.
That’s where the officer spotted Moody on the median. A dash camera in the officer’s car showed that Moody saw the police officer and started to run again, heading north across the boulevard toward the LaCosta apartment complex.
The officer was hit when he took off after Moody.
“Moody did not make any attempt to surrender at any time throughout the incident,” the report said.
Several witnesses recounted the department’s description of the events that led to the crash. Moody was caught as he ran across Congress Avenue and has been charged with grand theft and resisting an officer without violence.
He is being held at Palm Beach County Jail. Bond was set at $3,000 on the theft charges and no bond for resisting the officer.
Wilson got away during the commotion and Boynton police spent a day searching for her. Thursday afternoon, Wilson surrendered at police headquarters, deputies said. She will be charged with grand theft.
Police say Moody confessed to the theft from Kohl’s and said he saw the officer’s vehicle on Gateway Boulevard and tried to run away. But police said he told detectives that the theft of children’s clothing was Wilson’s idea because she wanted the clothes for her child.
The bag with numerous baby items valued at $1,243 was found inside the store.
This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 1:08 PM.
