Girl injured in crash in Lake Worth police chase was victim of sexual assault, cops say
Evidence exists that a 13-year-old girl critically injured last week in a car crash during a Lake Worth police chase was the victim of a sexual assault, Lake Worth police said on Wednesday.
Police also said human trafficking is one of many charges being considered in connection to the Feb. 15 crash that injured the girl, a 16-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 28-year-old man. The girl was not related to anyone else in the car.
Members of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations are assisting with the investigation.
Lake Worth police did not release any details on the sexual assault or the evidence and have not said who might face charges in the case. Investigators were working to determine who was driving the car and who drugs and guns found at the crash scene belonged to.
Police have identified the 28-year-old man as Eric Conde and the 18-year-old as Xavier Lopez, both from Fort Worth. The two, who were injured in the crash, remained in a local hospital on Wednesday.
A 16-year-old boy also suffered minor injuries in the crash, but he was released from a hospital.
Lopez spoke with KXAS-TV from his hospital bed. “All I remember was my friends picked me up to go eat at IHOP,” Lopez told the NBC station last week. “The car flipped and everything went black and we were out the car.”
Conde’s mother, Juanita Flores, told KXAS, that she hopes the investigation find the truth.
“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.”
The chase started just after 9 p.m. Feb. 15 when officers tried to stop a car for an equipment violation, police said in a news release.
The driver did not stop, and a short pursuit ensued that ended in about 60 seconds when the car hit a curb in the 2900 block of Northwest Centre Drive in Fort Worth.
The impact caused the driver to lose control and the car overturned in a nearby field, ejecting three of the people who were inside, Lake Worth police said.
Officers immediately began to provide first aid and placed a medical helicopter on standby.
In plain view around the vehicle, Lake Worth police said they found two loaded handguns, 22 grams of cocaine, 10 grams of black tar heroin, and other drug paraphernalia items.
Police said other charges that could be filed in the case include possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
This story was originally published February 22, 2023 at 10:53 AM.
