St. Petersburg police officer Timothy Reyes was seriously injured when his police cruiser struck a curb, flipped, then hit a utility pole. Reyes was on the way to assist with a stolen vehicle pursuit. The vehicle had been stolen a few hours earlier when the owner left the keys in the ignition with the engine running at the Chevron gas station at 34th St and 1st Ave S. Florida Statute 316.1975, titled “Unattended motor vehicle,” provides that a driver or person in charge of a motor vehicle “may not permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, and removing the key.” The owner of the stolen Cadillac may be liable to the injured police officer because he or she allowed the vehicle to be stolen by leaving the keys in the ignition.
