CHARGES FILED AGAINST SUSPECT IN FLORIDA DEPUTY DEATHS

Four felony charges were filed against the driver of a fleeing car, who is being blamed in the deaths of two Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies.

Ernie Daley, Jr. was charged late Wednesday with two counts of aggravated manslaughter of law enforcement officers by culpable negligence, one count of fleeing and eluding causing death, and one count of grand theft. He faces 95 years in prison if convicted. He's scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday morning.

Deputies Jonathan Wallace, 23, and Donta J. Manuel, 33, were killed in Pahokee around 1:45 a.m. Wednesday after they were struck by another deputy in pursuit of a stolen vehicle, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. Bradshaw told WPBF News 25 that more than 75 deputies searched for the man, who fled the stolen vehicle on foot.

Daley was taken into custody and was identified as a suspect and was being questioned about the case, Bradshaw said. Officials questioned another man, but released him because he was not involved. They are still looking for a second suspect in the car theft. Bradshaw told WPBF that deputies were chasing a stolen 1990 gold Toyota Camry on Highway 715 around 1:45 a.m. Wednesday morning when the crash occurred.

Wallace and Manuel were attempting to remove spikes on the road that they had placed to puncture the stolen car's tires when they were struck by a pursuing patrol vehicle. Bradshaw said the police cruiser, a K-9 unit, hit the men when the driver swerved in an attempt to miss the sticks that the deputies were removing.

Wallace and Manuel died at the scene. The driver of the K-9 vehicle, Gregorio Fernandez, 39, is being treated for a concussion and a broken arm at St. Mary's Medical Center. He is in fair condition. His police dog was not injured. A trainee in the car, Usbaldo Lara Junior, 23, was treated for minor injuries at Palms West Hospital.

Wallace, who had been an officer for about a year, was engaged to be married, according to Pahokee Mayor J.P. Sasser. Manuel was preparing to be the best man in Wallace's wedding. Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum expressed his sympathies for the deputies' families in a statement released late Wednesday morning.

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputies Jonathan Wallace and Donte Manuel. Deputies Wallace and Manuel, killed this morning in the line of duty, were individuals committed to protecting their communities and they made the ultimate sacrifice for that effort. My sympathy is with their families, friends and colleagues at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, as well as with the family and friends of the third Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy who was also injured this morning in the line of duty,” McCollum wrote.

If anyone has any information concerning this incident or know the location of the two subjects in the stolen vehicle, they are urged to contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office at 561-996-1670.