MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A man killed in a fiery crash near Jonathan Dickinson State Park following a 16-mile police pursuit had been arrested at least 10 times since 2001 and had a history of assaulting his own mother, the Martin County sheriff said.
Surveillance footage shows police pursuing Walter Turner II, who reached speeds near 100 miles per hour while driving the wrong way in a car registered to his mother. The pursuit began in Riviera Beach before ending in a devastating crash that killed Turner at the scene and injured four people, including a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old. All four are expected to recover.
WATCH: WRONG WAY DRIVER'S CRIMINAL PAST
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek described the scope of Turner's criminal past.
"He's been arrested multiple times, at least 10 times starting back in 2001," Budensiek said.
Court records show Turner appeared in Palm Beach County Court numerous times. According to the sheriff, Turner was accused on more than one occasion of assaulting his mother. In one case, court records say he growled and charged at her, headbutted her, locked her in a room, and took her phone. She was forced to use her medical alert device to call for help.
Budensiek also said Turner's mother reported that he had struggled since his father died in 2025 and that she had tried to have him Baker Acted — an involuntary mental health examination — but it did not take place.
"Mom had also reported that he had fallen apart since his father had died in 2025 or around that time and had tried to get him Baker acted, which did not take place. He did not get Baker acted, but she says that he had been off his medication, uh, acting extremely erratic," Budensiek said.
Investigators found a white powdery substance in Turner's pocket during examination at the medical examiner's office. Toxicology results are still pending.
The sheriff said investigators are still working to determine what caused Turner's behavior Sunday.
"We don't know the answers to some of the questions that even we have. We do know that this is a bad guy and the bad guy ended up being the one that died. And again, we're thankful that it was just the bad guy that died and not our innocent civilians that were moving down the road," Budensiek said.
The Florida Highway Patrol has taken over the investigation.
WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman dug into Turner's criminal history and court records show just how many times he had been in and out of Palm Beach County Court.
The crash also caused multiple collisions during the pursuit, with the sheriff noting mirrors were hit or knocked off of other cars along the route.
"It's my understanding that there were quite a few crashes where mirrors were hit or knocked off of cars," Budensiek said.
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