Motorcyclist dies after police chase Broward teens in stolen car, authorities say

A motorcyclist has died after colliding with an officer in the aftermath of a police chase involving two teens who stole a car from Boca Raton, authorities say.

A Lauderhill police officer who no was longer involved in the chase on Interstate 95 collided with the motorcyclist, who died at a hospital, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Robert Alfred Perone, 47, an experienced motorcycle driver from Port St. Lucie, was married and had worked as a mechanic at an auto repair store in Boca Raton, according to Andrew Odza, one of the attorneys representing Perone’s family.

The chase began before 1 a.m. Saturday, when Boca Raton police determined a Mercedes-Benz sedan, which had a gun inside, had been stolen.

Two boys, ages 16 and 15, are accused of stealing the car. The South Florida Sun Sentinel isn’t naming them because they’re minors.

Boca Raton police notified Lauderhill police about the theft, and Lauderhill cops pursued the luxury car onto Interstate 95 and into Palm Beach County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

About 1:45 a.m., Martin County Sheriff’s deputies received a be-on-the-lookout alert about the stolen car.

Martin County Sheriff’s deputies saw the Mercedes speeding on Interstate 95, and deputies used spiked “stop sticks” that punctured a tire on the Mercedes, slowing it down.

The teens ran from the Mercedes. The 16-year-old had been driving and the witnesses pointed to where he ran in the woods. Bystanders also pointed out the other boy, 15. Both teens were taken into custody and each faces a charge of grand theft auto. The driver also faces a charge of fleeing, attempting to elude police.

Though Lauderhill police officers’ efforts in the chase had ended sometime after they drove into Palm Beach County, a Lauderhill officer’s Ford Taurus patrol car continued north on the interstate, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The Lauderhill officer, whose name hasn’t been released by his department, saw a vehicle on an east shoulder of the highway, just north of the Palm Beach County line. As he drove his patrol car from an inside lane, next to the median, toward an outside lane to investigate, the Ford collided with Perone’s HarleyDavidson motorcycle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

After the patrol car entered the outside lane, the Harley’s front tire struck the right rear fender and wheel of the patrol car and the bike rolled over several times.

Perone had been wearing a helmet. He was taken to Cleveland Clinic Martin Hospital South, where he died, FHP said. The Lauderhill police officer was taken to Jupiter Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries, FHP said.