BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A Lake Worth man has been arrested for vehicular homicide in connection with the death of a 14-year-old boy in Boynton Beach back in June.
WATCH: FRIENDS REMEMBER TEEN HIT BY DRIVER
Michael Scott Bates, 35, turned himself in to the Palm Beach County Jail on Thursday, following a lengthy investigation, Boynton Beach police said.
The fatal crash happened just before 9 p.m. on June 12 near the 4600 block of North Congress Avenue. Police said Christopher Cetoute, of Boynton Beach, was crossing the roadway eastbound, when he was struck by a BMW M4 traveling southbound. Cetoute died at the scene.
The investigation revealed Bates was "traveling in excess of 100 mph at the time of impact," investigators said.
In the days following the crash, WPTV's Zitlali Solache spoke with friends who mourned the loss of Cetoute. The teen attended Congress Middle School and loved playing basketball and track.
"To me CC was actually like a best friend," Abrionna Lang, a close friend, said. "Loyal, hilarious, determined, caring, a sweet person. He was always easy to get close to."
Lang described the moment she learned of his death.
"At first I didn't believe it until I'd seen a lot of stuff and then I just started crying. Like I was crying for the whole day," Lang said.
Boynton Beach
Friends mourn teen struck by speeding driver in Boynton Beach deadly crash
A memorial of flowers, a poster and a balloon stood near the scene of the crash in the days that followed.
Caurline Robinson, who lives in the area, said the crash brought back painful memories, including the loss of a loved one to a speeding driver.
"Sadness, simply because I have had that happen to me," Robinson said. "In 2021, I lost my 5-year-old great-grand."
Robinson said she has witnessed at least seven crashes along Congress Avenue in the last eight years and called for safety enhancements. She said the fatal crash on North Congress Avenue did not surprise her.
"It's senseless. Senseless," Robinson said. "Where was the urgency to speed? Where was he going? And was it worth taking a life for speed?"
Bates is being held on $50,000 bond.
