The mother of one of the three teen girls that died after a stolen vehicle plunged into a St. Petersburg retention pond is filing a lawsuit.
- Lawsuit to be announced Friday in death of three girls who crashed stolen car in 2016
- Mother of Dominique Battle will file her intent to sue the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
- Previous story: Deputies: Stolen vehicle ends up in St. Pete cemetery pond
- Previous story: Friends, family mourn St. Petersburg teens who drove stolen car into pond
The mother of Dominique Battle will file her intent to sue the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on Friday, the one-year anniversary of the girls' deaths.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, the three teenage girls stole the car and were trying to avoid deputies when they drove into the pond early March 31, 2016, at the Royal Palm Cemetery.
According to Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the girls stole the 1998 gold Honda Accord from a Walmart in the area of 18th Street and 18th Avenue S. A friend of the car's owner had been asked to give the girls a ride, but he made a quick stop at the Walmart to buy a TV and left the girls in the car with the engine running.
Multiple deputies spotted the car, eventually following it to the cemetery where it crashed into the pond at about 30-35 mph.
Laniya Miller, 15, Ashaunti Butler, 15, and Dominique Battle, 16, died after the car crashed into the pond.
Attorneys representing Yashica Clemmons and her family are filing the lawsuit because his client believes negligence caused the girls to crash into this retention pond and drown.
According to the lawsuit, the girls' deaths could have been prevented and list a number of reasons why. They believe deputies illegally attempted to stop the car claiming the headlights were off although lawyers claim video shows the lights were on.
Attorneys also claim dispatch told the deputies not to pursue the car but they did anyway at speeds of more than 90 miles per hour.
Another accusation states that at least 14 deputies responded to the crash scene and none went into the pond to attempt to rescue the girls.
Gualtieri has argued against that point, saying his deputies did everything possible to save the girls, adding that deputies took off gun belts and clothes before getting in the pond. Gualtieri said deputies immediately began sinking in the muck and had to retreat.
Dashcam video does not show rescue attempts but does show deputies getting into and out of the pond.
"The deputies did nothing wrong," Gualtieri said. "And there was nothing improperly done here and they acted to try and stop three girls who were engaged in criminal conduct.
"That's something we can't lose sight of with this. And I feel for the families, I really do. I'm very sympathetic to the situation."
Clemmons and her attorneys are holding a news conference Friday morning and a vigil that evening at Campbell Park in remembrance of the girls.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has not responded to any pending lawsuit.