PANAMA CITY — Authorities have arrested a man suspected of leading police on a chase that ended in a deadly crash in St. Andrews last spring.
Devonte Harp, 20, of Albany, Ga., was booked into the Bay County Jail Wednesday on several charges, including third-degree murder and fleeing and eluding law enforcement. He is suspected of driving a car that crashed into an empty home at the intersection of 16th Street and Louise Avenue on March 6.
The crash killed 34-year-old Shantay Beach, a passenger in the car.
Panama City Police had attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu not far from where the crash occurred after an officer noticed it failed to stay within its lane and its registration came back as invalid. But the car took off, and police chased it through a residential area of St. Andrews.
The officer in pursuit discontinued the chase just a few blocks from where the car lost control, clipped a fire hydrant and smashed into a carport, which collapsed, police records indicate.
The Florida Highway Patrol conducted the investigation that led to the arrest because of the involvement of the Panama City Police Department.
Harp is charged with third-degree murder, vehicular homicide, aggravated fleeing and eluding, driving without a license resulting in bodily injury or death and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, which are felonies. He also faces misdemeanor charges of driving without a license and reckless driving.