TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man were charged after a crash Sunday night left two other teenagers dead in Tampa, according to police.
Savion Griggs, 18, was driving a 2012 Kia Optima in the middle lane of South 20th Street. While changing lanes, a 2016 Hyundai Sonata, driven by a 17-year-old, hit the rear fender of the Optima, according to the Tampa Police Department. The Sonata veered off the road and crashed into a fence.
Both Griggs and the 17-year-old Sonata driver were charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, according to police. The Sonata driver was also charged with driving without a valid driver’s license (death or serious bodily injury).
Two passengers in the Sonata, a 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man, died in the crash, police said. The names of the victims have not been officially released.
Police believe speed was a factor in the crash.
“Our condolences go out to the families of the victims,” Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that two young lives were lost so tragically. Street racing is not victimless, and it has serious consequences. There is no amount of street credibility that is worth putting your life or the lives of others at risk.”