Teen girls arrested after chase ends in crash in Orange County

A police pursuit in Orange County ended in a crash early Thursday, leading to the arrest of two teenage girls and leaving another driver critically injured.Kayla Stewart, 17, of Winter Springs, and Chelsea Keith, 18, were arrested in the crash, which happened around 2:45 a.m. on State Road 50 near State Road 417.According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Stewart was driving a pickup, which troopers later learned had been stolen, with the headlights off, so a trooper began following the vehicle.

A 9-minute chase ensued, with the pickup running several red lights before crashing into a Volkswagen, critically injuring the driver, troopers said. The driver of the Volkswagen, Julian Castrillon, 27, of Winter Springs, was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center. The teens suffered minor injuries and were taken to ORMC and later arrested, troopers said.
The FHP said the pickup was stolen from the house of one of the teen's boyfriends.

The mother of the 17-year-old tells Local 6 her daughter had run away and she had reported her missing last month.FHP spokeswoman Kim Montes was asked about the agency's pursuit policy, and she said it's determined on a case-by-case basis.
"Because of the nature of this, the driver was driving without headlights -- which is extremely dangerous because of the fact we're in nighttime hours -- other drivers on the road would not be able to see this driver," Montes said. "So that is of particular concern to us based on the fact how dangerous that would be for the drivers on the roadway."