BSO: Thieves Smash Stolen Car Into Home With Family Inside
POMPANO BEACH (CBS4) - A Pompano Beach family is picking up the pieces after their home was seriously damaged when thieves driving a stolen car plowed into their house, the Broward Sheriff's Office says.
And the homeowner says the crash nearly had fatal consequences..
Richard Turner says he was relaxing in his bedroom around 6:20 Tuesday night when a Cadillac ripped through his house, with his wife and adult son inside.
"I still can't believe it," Turner told CBS 4's Carey Codd. "This has got to be a nightmare. All of a sudden there was an explosion. Everything went dark and all this chunks of concrete and dust came flying all over me."
Turner believes it was nearly the end of his life.
"How close did this car come to you?" Codd asked.
"Huh! 2 feet away," Turner said. "That's all!"
The Broward Sheriff's Office says two men stole the car from a nearby convenience store. BSO says deputies pursued, the driver sped off then crashed into the home. Deputies say the two men in the car took off running.
Neighbor Ryan Tate says he sprang into action and tackled one of the men holding him down until deputies arrived.
"I put my pursuit on him like Dog the Bounty Hunter," said Tate, explaining that he acted on instinct and was not concerned for his safety. "If he kills me, he kills me I'm doing the right thing for my neighborhood."
Deputies quickly caught the other guy too.
Randy Pericles says he owns the car that was stolen. He says he left it running while he ran back into the convenience to get something.
"I left my lottery ticket," said Pericles. "Not my lucky night at all."
But everyone in this neighborhood is pleased the Turner family is lucky to have survived unscathed, although their longtime home has a gaping hole in front and many of the family's possessions are destroyed.
The family says they will likely live with family or at a hotel, putting a serious damper on their holiday season.
"This would have to happen at Christmas-time," Turner said.
The Turners' do have homeowner's insurance and plan to repair the home.
A BSO deputy on scene said the two men arrested are in their early 20's. One was taken to the hospital and one was taken to jail.
