Investigators are looking at the possibility of human trafficking offenses in connection to a rollover crash involving a 13-year-old girl, Lake Worth police confirmed Friday.
The crash happened around 9 p.m. Wednesday following a brief police chase.
According to Lake Worth police chief J.T. Manoushagian, officers tried to stop the driver for an equipment violation but the driver refused to pull over. The car hit a curb along the 2900 block of Northwest Centre Drive and overturned in a field.
The car was carrying four people: a 16-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man, a 28-year-old man, and a 13-year-old girl.
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Chief Manoushagian said detectives suspected early human trafficking may be involved.
“Evidence we obtained yesterday [Thursday] only affirms that suspicion. The primary suspicious factor for us was that this young girl was not related to anybody in this car. No family connections whatsoever,” Manoushagian said.
“Since then, we have obtained evidence that a sexual assault did occur. So, we want to get to the bottom of that and figure out where it occurred, how it occurred, and who’s responsible.”
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Three occupants of the vehicle were ejected in the crash. All four occupants were hospitalized in either serious or critical condition.
Earlier this week, 18-year-old Xavier Lopez spoke with NBC 5 from his hospital bed.
"All I remember was my friends picked me up to go eat at IHOP," Lopez said. "The car flipped and everything went black and we were out the car.”
Juanita Flores, the mother of 28-year-old Eric Conde, said details released so far are not adding up. Flores added, she knows there was some wrongdoing done by some in the car, but she is hoping the investigation holds the right people accountable.
“That's all I want is the truth," she said. "Whoever is held responsible, they're responsible, but I just want the truth to come out."
Lake Worth Police said drugs, money, phones, and two guns were found on the scene.
“We did collect a multitude of evidence inside the car, but we have to keep in mind that it rolled over multiple times. People were tossed about inside the car, so DNA cannot be the only thing we rely on,” Chief Manoushagian said.
Manoushagian said it is unclear who was driving the car. Detectives have spoken with one of the occupants, but formal interviews have not been conducted due to the extent of the injuries.
“Everybody that was in the car is a suspect. We will move through a systemic process to rule out suspects as we’re able,” he said. "Every person in the car had a criminal history."
He said he is confident charges will be filed against multiple people.
