Black Teen Dies in Bike Crash During Traffic Stop, Family Seeks Police Accountability

The family of Stanley “SJ” Davis III and community members are calling for the officer involved in his death to be held accountable, reported ABC News. Davis, 13, died after crashing his bike as a Boynton Beach police officer pursued him. Currently, no charges have been brought against the officer.

Per ABC’s report, the incident occurred in December 2021 when Davis was riding his dirt bike. The investigation report stated Davis was traveling 85 miles per hour while “unlawfully fleeing an attempted traffic stop.” Davis ended up crashing his bike into the curb. The report found there was no contact between the police vehicle and Davis’ bike.

The Florida Highway Patrol completed their investigation and found no charges were to be filed “because the at-fault person expired as a result of the crash,” per ABC News. Community members and Davis family shared concerns about the report in a city commission meeting.

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Davis’ grandmother Tina Hunter told ABC News that her grandson received the dirt bike as a Christmas gift and was trying it out the day after Christmas when an officer attempted to pull him over. His death has been the subject of heated discussions during the bi-monthly city commission meetings over the past three months.

“I think it was a slap in the face, a disservice and a dishonor for highway patrol to come to that conclusion,” a community member told incoming city officials who were sworn into office during the meeting. “You all right now have the opportunity to do the right thing — to make that determination to terminate him ... this SJ movement is still what it’s about and we’re asking that you all pay attention to it.”

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing Davis’ family as they call for the termination of the officer involved in Davis’ death.

“The Boynton Beach Police Department’s own policy is that pursuits should only be initiated if the officer reasonably believes the person fleeing has committed a felony. We’re talking about a child,” Crump told ABC.

The Boynton Beach Police Department has honored the officer’s right by Marsy’s Law to keep his name from being released to the public. The community and Davis’ family plan to continue seeking answers from the department on the incident, per ABC News.