13-year-old boy on dirt bike dies during attempted traffic stop by Boynton Beach police

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Boynton Beach police said a 13-year-old boy died Sunday afternoon during an attempted traffic stop.

According to police, the boy was observed recklessly driving a dirt bike on Boynton Beach Boulevard just before 1 p.m.

Officers attempted to make a traffic stop, and the teen lost control of the dirt bike and collided with a median curb in the 800 block of North Federal Highway.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the teen — who was wearing a helmet — was thrown from the bike and slammed into a sign in the median. The 13-year-old was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Surveillance video obtained by WPTV on Monday showed the teen — identified by a family member as Stanley Davis Jr. — fueling up his red and white dirt bike at the Boynton Chevon gas station shortly before the crash.

As Davis pulled out of the gas station, a Boynton Beach police SUV could be seen following him.

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"Our hearts go out to the family members of this young person, and they can trust that we and our law enforcement partners will be conducting a series of thorough and meticulous investigations into the circumstances of what occurred," Boynton Beach Police Chief Michael G. Gregory said. "Can’t say how difficult it is to think of the loss of somebody as young as 13 years old. Such a bright future ahead of them. I know our community is upset."

Tina Hunter is the grandmother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed while on his dirt bike.

“That was my grandson, my only grandson,” said Hunter. “They chased him, chased him. He just panicked because he’s a kid. Chased him right to his damn grave and figured he’s just another Black boy and ain’t nothing is going to be done. That’s the prejudice of the Boynton Beach police that we’ve been having problems for all these damn years.”

Sunday evening, Boynton Beach police held a news conference.

Boynton Beach Police Chief Michael Gregory said at the press conference a thorough and conclusive investigation will be conducted.

FHP will lead the investigation for the traffic homicide.

Gregory said the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office will also be conducting a separate investigation that will be shared with FHP and the police department. At the conclusion of those investigations, he said an internal affairs investigation will be conducted to determine policy violations and procedures that may have been applied or not applied.

"At this point, in the preliminary investigation, I am not seeing any evidence or heard any witnesses testimony that states that the officer's vehicle came in contact with the dirt bike," said Gregory.

A friend of Davis who is involved in bike life culture said they need a place where they can ride and avoid these types of consequences.

“I feel like if the community came together and built a park, or somewhere for people to ride, these hit situations won’t happen. If the community came together and tried to understand the culture in Boynton, these situations wouldn't happen,” said “Jay,” a friend of the victim who did not want to be identified.

As dictated by department policy, the officer involved will be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. He added there is also no evidence of any additional secondary type of crash.

On Monday, Boynton Beach police said the department has received numerous requests for the release of a dashcam video.

"The police vehicle involved in this incident is not equipped with a dashcam. We have turned over all of our video evidence to the Florida Highway Patrol for their ongoing investigation," the department explained.

Anyone with information about the crash is encouraged to call police at 561-732-8116 or submit video evidence via BBPD.org so that it can also be provided to FHP.

WPTV