North Florida high school cheerleader hit by stolen car dies

HAVANA, FLA. -- Grief counselors will be at a north Florida high school Monday to help students cope with the death of a 15-year-old cheerleader who was run down by a stolen car in the school's parking lot after the homecoming game, authorities said.



Crystal Riley, 15, a freshman on the East Gadsden High School cheerleading squad, died after she was hit by a car about midnight Friday. Her mother, Cynthia Riley, was also hit, but her injuries were not life threatening, the Florida Highway Patrol said

The 16-year-old suspected of driving the car was arrested on vehicular homicide and auto theft charges about five hours after the crash. His name was not immediately available Sunday. A 17-year-old passenger has not been charged.



According to the highway patrol, an assistant principal at the school tried to flag down a car that was driving erratically at the school, which is about 16 miles north of Tallahassee. The driver sped away, but got stuck in traffic.



The driver then sped backward at a high rate of speed, colliding with several cars before hitting Riley and her mother, the FHP said.



The car, which was later found to be stolen, fled the scene and crashed a few miles from the school. Gadsden County sheriff's deputies tracked the suspects to a home in Gretna.



"In my 10 years of law enforcement, it's one of the worst things I've dealt with,'' Gadsden County sheriff's spokesman Ulysses Jenkins said. Cheerleaders said petite Crystal Riley was "the baby of the squad.''



"At practice she would always make jokes and dance a lot and make people laugh,'' said cheerleader Briana Rollinson, 15. "I'm going to miss her, and I regret never telling her how much I loved her.''