Officer in High-Speed Crash Is Suspended

St. Petersburg Police Officer Timothy Reyes has been suspended without pay for five days and ordered to attend remedial driving school, following an internal review of a high-speed car accident.

The total damage from the crash, including to the cruiser, topped $30,000. Reyes' five-day suspension from work began on Tuesday, May 7.

According to the police report, Reyes was traveling 110 mph in a 40 mph zone in his marked police cruiser, with his emergency equipment activated, while attempting to catch up to an authorized police pursuit in progress.

Reyes, 29, told investigators that he was eastbound on 54th Avenue South in the 1900 block when an unknown vehicle slowly exited a driveway into an apartment complex on 54th Avenue South, forcing him to maneuver to his left to avoid striking the vehicle.

Two citizen witnesses to the crash indicated they did not see another vehicle in the area at the time of the crash. A third citizen witness to the crash saw a white vehicle in the area of the crash, but did not know if it was involved.

The investigation showed that a driver's side tire of Reyes' police cruiser struck the raised concrete median in the middle of 54th Avenue South. He lost control of the police cruiser and began sliding sideways toward the south curb of 54th Avenue South.

Officer Reyes' police cruiser struck the south curb of 54th Avenue South, flipped over on its roof and then struck a wood utility pole and a metal fence that borders the Osprey Pointe apartment complex.

Several fragments from the pole and fence damaged two vehicles that were parked and unattended in the apartment complex parking lot.

Reyes, who was wearing his seat belt, had to be extricated from the police cruiser by the Fire Department personnel and was then transported to a local hospital for injuries.

Assistant Chief Luke Williams, who is the Acting Chief of Police of the St. Petersburg Police Department while Chief Chuck Harmon is on vacation, completed his internal review of the traffic crash investigation.

A press release described the discipline as "progressive," since Reyes previously was at fault in a traffic crash on Sept. 26, 2011. The most recent crash occurred on March 24, 2013.

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