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AUBURNDALE, Fla. - One person died early Tuesday after a car hit a tree following two hit-and-run crashes – all of which Auburndale police say are related.
What we know:
According to the Auburndale Police Department, officers responded to three separate crash scenes around 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The crashes included two hit-and-run collisions and a single-vehicle crash into a tree near Berkley Rd. and Strickland Ln., which police say killed the driver.
READ: Person trying to put out fire with garden hose pulled from Mulberry blaze: PCFR
APD says the first crash happened when a 2018 blue Mitsubishi Outlander hit the back of a 2025 gray Chevrolet Silverado driving southbound on Berkley Road.
Police said Robert Joseph Felton, 42, was driving the car.
A resident of the Westside Ridge community responded to the crash in a golf cart and encountered Felton, according to police.
That's when police say Felton forcibly removed the resident from the golf cart and left the area in the stolen golf cart.
Dig deeper:
While driving the golf cart northbound on Berkley Road, APD says Felton collided with a 2005 gray Chevrolet Colorado driven by a third victim, causing Felton to fall out of the golf cart.
That crash left Felton lying motionless on the road, according to police.
READ: Person trying to put out fire with garden hose pulled from Mulberry blaze: PCFR
As the third victim went to check on Felton, police say he got up, struck them with an unknown object and stole the car.
While driving away in the stolen Chevrolet, Felton crashed into a 2024 Hyundai Sonata and lost control of the car.
Police say Felton hit a tree and was thrown from the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
APD says that all four victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and received medical treatment after the incident.
What we don't know:
The names of the victims are still unknown.
Police say the investigation is ongoing, and officers are still reviewing surveillance footage and gathering witness accounts. More information will be provided when available.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about the crashes is urged to contact Auburndale police at 863-965-5555 or by email at amarenco@auburndalefl.com.
The Source: This story was written with information from the Auburndale Police Department.
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