South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
‘We’re here for justice’
Street protests after officer chase leads to death of 13-year-old
Scores of protestors crammed Federal Highway in Boynton Beach on Saturday afternoon to demand accountability in the death of a 13-year-old who died after fleeing police on his dirt bike.
Stanley Davis III was at a Chevron gas station, filling up the tank of his dirt bike he got for Christmas the day before.
Davis was followed by police, and soon lost control, crashing into the curb in the median. He died at the scene.
“The officer was dead wrong,” said protestor Todd Johnson. “I need him to go to jail.”
Protestors revved up dirt bike and motorcycle engines for 45 minutes at the Chevron and in the parking lot of the neighboring ACE Hardware, many people holding signs along the roadway. There was no police presence on that stretch of highway until after the protest moved to another location.
“People are angry right now,” Johnson said. “It’s what the officer did, he could have gone about it a whole different way.”
Protestors want video. Although the police vehicle involved in this incident is not equipped with a dashcam, a police spokeswoman said bodycam video has been turned over to the Florida Highway Patrol.
“We want transparency,” said protestor Olen Whitely. “We’re here for justice.”
The police agency has refused to identify the officer or how long he has been with the agency, invoking Marsy’s Law, a state law intended to protect the rights of victims.
Nor will they give details of how the accident happened other than saying that after the driver was “observed driving recklessly,” the police “attempted a traffic stop, and the dirt bike went down in the 800 block of North Federal Highway.”
Off-road vehicles are prohibited from being used on public roadways according to Florida law.
Family and friends accuse the police department of conducting a PIT maneuver, which is when police can force a fleeing car to lose control and stop by bumping it. But Police Chief Michael Gregory said at a news conference last weekend he has not seen or heard any evidence that the officer struck Stanley or his bike.
Still, police officials won’t say under what circumstances the dirt bike stopped.
When asked Saturday whether there was a PIT maneuver, police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater referred questions to the Florida Highway Patrol, which is conducting the investigation. A spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol could not be immediately reached for comment.
The family of the 13-yearold told the Sun Sentinel at the protest that the child will be buried next Saturday.
Nationally known civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump confirmed by email Saturday he has taken the case.
The child’s father, Stanley Davis Jr., said the family has questions. “When there’s no more breath left in me, I’ll stop,” he said.
Stanley’s mother, Shannon Thompson, said her heart was ripped. She said he was her only child. She said despite earlier reports identifying her child as Stanley Davis, Jr., he is the Stanley Davis III.
“He’s all I have,” she said.