West Palm Beach has fired seven police officers who were arrested in June for their alleged actions in a 2024 high-speed vehicle pursuit that killed a Boynton Beach woman and her pregnant daughter, the police union representing them said.
Officers Austin B. Danielovich, Pierre F. Etienne and Christopher C. Rekdahl are each facing two counts each of leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a first-degree felony, and one count of official misconduct, a third-degree felony, in the deaths of Marcia Pochette, 57, and Jenice Woods, 27.
In addition, officers Michael E. Borgen, William L. Loayza, Brandan C. Stedfelt and Darien J. Thomas face one count of official misconduct.
All were arrested June 4 following an investigation by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Unit.
Investigators say all of the officers were involved in a 15-mile chase from West Palm Beach to Boynton Beach on July 30, 2024, with the pursuit reaching speeds of nearly 120 mph on Interstate 95. The car they were chasing crashed into a sedan carrying Pochette and Woods, killing both.
Police union ‘disappointed’ West Palm acted ahead of legal process
In a statement provided to The Palm Beach Post on June 26, the Fraternal Order of Police said the officers have been fired and expressed disappointment in the city’s decision.
“The FOP respects the seriousness of this incident, however we are disappointed by the City of West Palm Beach’s decision to terminate the officers involved, prior to allowing the legal process to conclude,” FOP President Adam Myers said in prepared remarks.
“These officers are entitled to due process and all the facts to come to light before final judgments are made. We will continue to support each of them as their cases proceed in the courts.”
A city spokesperson said the case is an active legal matter and declined further comment.
According to arrest repots, Danielovich, Etienne and Rekdahl were driving three department vehicles that pursued Neoni Copeland’s Kia Stinger, investigators said. Police in Boynton Beach arrested Copeland on charges related to the crash.
Records provided by West Palm Beach police showed the officers may have violated several policies governing vehicle pursuits.
Investigators say the pursuit began when officers attempted to pull Copeland over to speak to him regarding a matter that they have not specified.
According to arrest reports, the officers did not notify department supervisors or neighboring law enforcement agencies about the pursuit. They also failed to render or call for aid after Copeland’s Kia struck Pochette and Woods’ Toyota Corolla shortly after 8 p.m. that night on North Congress Avenue, near Meadows Park in Boynton Beach.
West Palm Beach’s pursuit policy states than an officer is authorized to pursue a vehicle in two circumstances:
It also requires that officers evaluate the degree of risk in pursuing, the likelihood of apprehension and whether the violator can be apprehended through other means.
Florida law defines a forcible felony as crimes such as murder, manslaughter, sexual battery, carjacking, home-invasion robbery, robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping or aggravated assault.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Police union: West Palm fires seven officers involved in chase that led to fatal crash
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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