Boynton Beach police say Michael Bates floored his BMW down North Congress Avenue, hot on the heels of a friend's speeding Corvette. He inched the needle of his speedometer past the 100 mph mark, his tires squealing, until, at last, he overtook the Corvette. Then a boy darted into his path.
The force of the crash sent 14-year-old Christopher Cetoute flying. He lay dead on a sidewalk by the time police arrived, his skull fractured and his glasses scattered in the road. Bates, his own face bloodied but otherwise intact, stood nearby and cried.
Officers booked Bates, 35, into the Palm Beach County Jail on Thursday on one count of vehicular homicide. His defense attorney, Ron Herman, did not return a request for comment.
Police say the Lake Worth Beach
man was one of five drivers who left a house together on June 12 in a BMW M4, a Honda Civic, a Tesla, a Chevy Corvette and an Infiniti Q60 and drove "as if they were all pushing each other to go faster, all while trying to stay together."
According to police, the group sped down Hypoluxo Road, ran a red light at Military Trail and turned south onto Congress Avenue, a 45 mph zone.
By the time the drivers in the rear made the turn, they were met with smoke in the air and debris in the street. The BMW had screeched to a halt on the side of the road.
Christopher, a student at Congress Middle School, had been walking with two friends toward a Publix store. One of those friends told police he and Christopher noticed someone behind them and began running. The friend shouted at Christopher to "chill," but he continued into the road and was hit a moment later.
Officers investigated the crash for months before getting a warrant for Bates' arrest. They determined that the Corvette was driving about 70 mph, the Honda Civic about 75 mph, the Infiniti about 82 mph and the Tesla 57 mph before the crash.
Data pulled from Bates' internal crash recorder showed he was driving 106 mph half a second before the wreck.
Bates turned himself in Thursday and made his first court appearance Friday. Circuit Judge Dane Leitner set his bail at $50,000 and forbade him from driving and contacting Christopher's family, who watched from the courtroom gallery.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: BMW driver charged with killing teen in 106 mph Boynton Beach crash
