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Teen Dies After Stealing Beer, Troopers Say

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A TBO staff report

Published: November 19, 2007

SARASOTA A teenager speeding away from a convenience store after stealing beer crashed into a tree and was killed early Sunday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

David Castillo, 18, of Venice, was driving a 2008 Mitsubishi about midnight when he failed to make a turn onto Chimney Creek Drive and struck a large tree with the front left of the car, the report says.

There were two passengers in Castillo's car.

Elijah Hill, 17, of Sarasota, was riding in a rear seat and was not injured, the report says.

Savannah J. White, 17, of Sarasota, was the front passenger and was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital with unspecified injuries.

Hill and White were charged with petty theft.

It was about midnight when the three teenagers ran into the Site gas station, 1721 Honore Ave., and ran out with four cases of beer, the report says.

A clerk at the Site store, Timothy Smigiel, chased the teens into the parking lot, where Castillo deliberately struck him with his car, the report says.

The car sped west on 17th Street, and at Chimney Creek Drive, Castillo tried to make a sharp right turn and lost control of the car, the report says.

The crash is still under investigation. The vehicle is estimated to have about $10,000 damage.

Information from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune was used in this report.

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