The man accused of fleeing after crashing a stolen truck into two teens Tuesday afternoon in east Orange County has never had a driver’s license, troopers say.
Travis Rhys Johnson, 19, has been accused at least twice before of driving without a license — one of the times a deputy found him driving a stolen pickup, Orange County court records show.
He also had a warrant out for his arrest stemming from a July 2016 incident when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper said Johnson fled from a traffic stop on a motorcycle that had a stolen license plate, records show.
He should not have been behind the wheel Tuesday when the crash happened, troopers said.
Jocelyn Diehl, 14, and Jaxson Wells, 15, were walking along the sidewalk on Dean Road at River Park Boulevard, near Union Park Middle School, when Johnson lost control of a stolen Ford Explorer, according to FHP.
Witnesses said Johnson was “speeding, changing multiple lanes and driving over the double yellow lines" approaching the intersection when he hit the curb, an arrest report states. The impact caused the Explorer to flip.
The vehicle grazed Jaxson and pinned Jocelyn against a gate, the report states.
Johnson got out and ran toward some nearby woods, troopers said. A witness tried to follow but eventually lost sight of him.
A sheriff’s helicopter and canine found him more than an hour later hiding in a creek, according to the report.
Emergency medical crews rushed Jocelyn to Arnold Palmer hospital, where she remained Wednesday in serious but stable condition, troopers said. Jaxson had minor injuries and didn’t need to be transported.
A GoFundMe page set up for Jocelyn by her uncle said she was in intensive care with a broken cheekbone and fractures around her eye, among other injuries. It was too early to tell the full extent of her injuries, but her family expects her to recover, according to the page.
The page includes a photo of Jocelyn wearing an oversized flat-brim baseball cap, sitting on a dock and holding a just-hooked fish.
“We are saddened that a child was injured in this tragic accident,” said Shari Bobinski, a spokeswoman for Orange County Public Schools. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. We hope she will make a quick and full recovery.”
Classmates who want to talk about the crash can go to their guidance counselors, Bobinski said.
Gal Tziperman Lotan of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
sallen@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5417
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