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A 13-year-old boy died after crashing his dirt bike during an attempted police traffic stop in South Florida.
Boynton Beach Police said the boy was "observed driving recklessly on Boynton Beach Boulevard" before "officers attempted a traffic stop and the dirt bike went down in the 800 block of North Federal Highway," in a post shared on the department's verified Facebook account.
“Our hearts go out to the family members of this young person, and they can trust that we and our law enforcement partners will be conducting a series of thorough and meticulous investigations into the circumstances of what occurred,” Boynton Beach Police Chief Michael G. Gregory said in a statement shared in the post.
The department confirmed the officer who attempted to stop the 13-year-old will be placed on administrative leave "pending the outcome of the investigation" in adherence with department policy.
“I can’t say how difficult it is to think of a loss of someone as young as 13 years old with such a bright future ahead of them,” Gregory said during a news conference on Sunday (December 26) via NBC News. “I know that our community is upset. I know there is a lot of emotion.”
Gregory said the department planned to undergo a "thorough and conclusive investigation" into the incident, which will be led by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office will lead a probe into the cause and manner of the 13-year-old's death.