ST. PETERSBURG - A quiet afternoon in Jordan Park turned into a demolition derby Monday as a police pursuit of a stolen car ended with the car hitting a bus that then crashed into an apartment building.
The crash left at least two people with serious injuries. Several bus passengers were treated, too.
Police also said the driver of the stolen car had his 2-year-old son in the back seat.
The toddler apparently wasn't injured, said Gulfport police Chief Robert Vincent, who defended his department's decision to chase the car from his city into St. Petersburg.
But St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, who arrived at the chaotic scene after the crash at 11th Avenue S and 25th Street S, had harsh words for the Gulfport police.
"They got to own this one," Foster said. "That pursuit wouldn't have been authorized by the St. Petersburg Police Department."
Vincent, however, contended Gulfport's pursuit policy is identical to St. Petersburg's.
It all started at 5:50 p.m., Vincent said.
Gulfport police Officer Jesse Kellington, an eight-year veteran of the force, was on routine patrol when he saw the 2012 silver Toyota Venza, Vincent said. When he checked the license plate, he saw the car was listed as stolen, the chief said. St. Petersburg police said the car, an Avis rental, had been taken Sunday after a woman left her keys in the ignition while visiting a friend.
Kellington began pursuing the car at Newton Avenue S and 51st Street S, Vincent said. Three men were in the car, he said, but Kellington didn't know about the toddler in the back seat.
The chase continued through Gulfport and onto Interstate 275. At some point, the car got off at the 28th Street S exit, Vincent said. The pursuit crossed into St. Petersburg's Jordan Park neighborhood.
As the vehicle sped east on 11th Avenue S, it ran a stop sign at 25th Street and T-boned a PSTA bus at the intersection, Vincent said. The impact sent the bus careening into a two-story apartment building at 2454 11th Ave S, with the car's front fender hooked into the bus' wheel well.
"The bus swerved, and hit the front porch of a building," said Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue. "There was major damage. It took off the porch overhang."
Neighbors said the porch is normally a quiet place for the building's residents to sit . Fortunately, no one was sitting on the porch at the time of the crash.
Two woman who said they had walked down the street to buy a frozen treat were walking back when they realized they were about to be flattened by the bus.
"I just heard a 'Boom!' sound," said Shauntia Elias, 27, who said she saw the bus about to hit the building as she began running.
"It sounded like we were watching an action movie," said Neicy Harris, 27, comparing the scene to the Keanu Reeves-Sandra Bullock thriller Speed.
Both the car's driver, identified by Vincent as Derrick Mims, 21, and a passenger in the stolen car were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. However, about 9 p.m. Mims was released from the hospital and taken to the Pinellas County Jail, where Vincent said he would be charged with grand theft auto and fleeing and eluding police.
The third man in the car fled the scene and was still being sought Monday night.
The child was taken to All Children's Hospital and was in stable condition.
Firefighters also treated several people who were on the bus. They went to various hospitals, but none was thought to have serious injuries.
Vincent said his agency will review the pursuit, but he said Kellington had been in contact with his supervisor throughout the chase: "In their judgment, it was safe to continue."
When asked about Foster's comments, Vincent contended his agency follows the same policy as St. Petersburg. "My policy says pursuit is authorized if the officer has a reason to believe the driver committed a forcible felony." Burglary of a vehicle is included on that felony list, he said.
St. Petersburg policy does call for pursuit after a "forcible felony," but police have said in the past that they do not pursue a vehicle based solely on the fact that it is stolen.
The fault for the crash, Vincent contended, lies with the driver of the Toyota: "What happened here is a result of a criminal choosing to run from the police."
Times researcher Natalie Watson contributed to this story.
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