By: Sharon Aron Baron
When a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy saw a car driving erratically early Saturday in Tamarac, he conducted a traffic stop, but instead of pulling safely to the side of the road, the driver stopped in the eastbound lanes of Commercial Boulevard. When the deputy got out of his car to approach the driver, the man sped away.
The deputy did not pursue the black Infiniti M37x, but instead put out a “Be On the Lookout” message to other law enforcement officers with a description of the vehicle. About two minutes later, BSO Communications received a 911 call that there had been a crash in the 4900 block of Commercial Boulevard, just west of the Florida Turnpike entrance. They soon discovered that after fleeing from the deputy, the black Infiniti had continued eastbound on Commercial, crossing over the median and colliding with a westbound Jeep SUV. The Infiniti caught fire after the crash.
Tamarac Fire Rescue and North Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to the crash and pronounced the Infiniti driver, 23-year-old Regis Dorcilus of Deerfield Beach, dead at the scene. They transported his passenger, 19-year-old Tia Johnson of Deerfield Beach, to Broward Health Medical Center with critical injuries. Johnson was badly burned. BSO transported the driver of the SUV, 37-year-old John David Heeb of Tamarac, by air to Broward Health Medical Center as a trauma alert. Heeb was also in critical condition.
BSO traffic homicide detectives are investigating the crash, which happened at 4:33 a.m. The deputy’s initial traffic stop happened at 4:31 a.m. on Commercial Boulevard near Northwest 70 Avenue. Detectives have not released the names of those involved because their families have not been notified of the death and injuries.
Anyone with information about this crash is asked to call Det. Robert Hager at (954) 321-4840 or report anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at (954) 493-TIPS (8477) or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org.
