Brett Knowles (30) was finally arrested for Hit-and-Run and additionally for causing serious injury while driving without a license.
We originally reported from the accident scene on September 19th. Three kids on skateboards were allegedly hit by Knowles’ car on the northbound shoulder of 441 near West Boca Medical Center and across from Target. Two of the kids had fractures requiring surgery, and there were also head injuries. We included videos from the scene in that article.
Back in October we reported that charges had not been filed yet. Our readers may remember from that article that Knowles had posted on Facebook appearing to brag about leaving the scene:
A week ago we reported that the State’s Attorney Dave Aronberg was stalling on the case. His office dropped yet another driving while suspended charge against Knowles from a mid-October incident. It’s possible our coverage caused them to move, though we’re hopeful there’s a good reason they took their time.
As we previously reported, Mr. Knowles has had over 40 cases in the courts, including multiple charges of driving with a suspended or revoked license. We will keep an eye on this case to see if the so-called justice system actually holds Knowles accountable.
These new charges do not show up in the court system as of yet. The Sheriff’s blotter indicates that Mr. Knowles remains in custody.
He is, of course, innocent of these charges at this stage of the process.
Tag: target
Reader Warning: Fake Drop Boxes
Here’s a warning from a reader:
This is a time of year when people start giving to the needy. And boxes like the one in the pic below are popping up. Recently I took a pic of this one in the Target parking lot on 441 and Palmetto.
The owners of this box likely are swap shop regulars. … Coconut Creek has been trying to bust the people placing these in parking lots, but they are hard to catch. The box has no contact info, no information of what non-profit or for-profit organization placed it there, and is not permitted by the store owner (Target), land owner, or the City.
If people want to donate to a worthy cause (and not fund a swap shop seller) they should give to organizations that clearly identify themselves.
Hobby Lobby in West Boca: Hiring, and Protests
We have reported previously on the West Boca Hobby Lobby opening and hiring. We previously reported that the hiring event was at the beginning of September. Apparently they’re still going and the hiring continues at least through Saturday as shown in the photos above and below.
It looks like they’re about ready for the grand opening on Monday the 29th. It’s an impressive front:
It’s located in part of the former Beall’s space in West Boca Square. In the shot below Chili’s and Palmetto Park Road are barely visible in the far left background:
And in this shot you can see the rest of the plaza heading north toward Target:
In related news we’ve heard there might be one or more protests or rallies against Hobby Lobby. One reader sent us something about one being organized by MoveOn.org for this Friday. That seems odd since the store isn’t opening until Monday and there’s not a lot of traffic at that end of the plaza. The other one was supposed to be a day or two after the opening, which made a little more sense but we never received solid details. We suspect the protests won’t amount to much, but we’d love to hear from our readers if they’re going to attend. We may stop by and take pictures.
Serious Accident Closes 441 Northbound: Scene Photos & Video
Update: Per a reader the road is still closed as of 11:40 pm on Friday night.
A friend alerted us tonight to an accident scene on the northbound side of 441 near Target and West Boca Medical Center. We went to the scene and took several photos as well as video. A brief video summary is below, but it was early in our investigation and we learned more afterward.
We also received the following thanks to Palm Beach County Alerts:
***WEST BOCA*** Pedestrian Accident — Central Park Blvd S @ State Road 7 — R51 onscene in front of West Boca Hospital, vehicle hit multiple pedestrians, Incident Commander advising they have 2 Trauma Alerts going to Delray Trauma Center by ground & 1 other patient non-critical — Tac 4A
Here’s a map showing the location:
At the scene this reporter was able to see various items of debris in the roadway and on the shoulder. In particular there was a shoe or sneaker, a flip-flop, and a hat, all in the travel portion of the roadway.
I also saw two different skateboards, an orange one just off the shoulder at the south end of the scene, and a green one further into the grass at the north end of the debris area. In the picture below, the orange skateboard is at the lower left corner and you may be able to see the shoe in roughly the middle of the picture.
I’m not sure why this worked with my camera but the shot below gives a good sense of the amount of debris in the roadway behind one of the cars that was on the scene:
Later on deputies from PBSO were spray-painting the roadway where the items were and then collecting the items as evidence, as seen in the two videos below:
Piecing it all together based on my experience in handling criminal and personal injury cases including accident reconstructions, certain details stand out. First of all the shoe, flip-flop and hat in the roadway suggest that there wasn’t just one pedestrian hit by a vehicle but multiple and they were in the roadway when they were hit. It is somewhat common for a pedestrian to be literally knocked out of their shoes when hit by a car. In this case it would appear that two different pedestrians were hit, as it seems unlikely that one person would be wearing a flip-flop on one foot and a shoe on the other. For legal help with a pedestrian accident, you may wish to reach out to a law firm like Ruloff, Swain, Haddad, Morecock, Talbert & Woodward, P.C. to help you out.
There is not much lighting on the northbound side of the road and it may have been difficult for a driver to see skateboarders crossing the road in the dark. We were notified of the accident after 8:30 pm and it was dark.
Shortly before we left the scene the individuals we saw at the side of the road were allowed to leave. It’s unclear if they were just witnesses, or if one of their vehicles had been involved in the collision. I did not see any damage to either vehicle though the lighting was poor and I was not allowed to get close to the vehicles.
I should also note that a reader told us:
Two teenagers on the ground by west boca medical center. Looks like they must have been hit by a car or something.
Those who have been the victim of injuries sustained by being hit by a vehicle may wish to speak with lawyers such as the ones at GJEL.com.
Also, per CBS 12: “Three people were riding skateboards in the bike lane when they were hit by the vehicle. The vehicle then fled the scene and the driver was later caught, according to The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.”
Hobby Lobby Grand Opening: September 29th
Hobby Lobby announced today that their new West Boca store will have its grand opening and ribbon cutting event two weeks from today. It will be Monday, September 29th at 9 am.
This will be their 30th location in the state of Florida. Luis Gandia is the store manager of the 52,000 square-foot retail facility located in West Boca Square at Palmetto Park Road & 441. That’s the plaza with Target. The store is on the opposite end from Target, near Chili’s, filling in most of the space left by the former Beall’s.
“We feel blessed for the fantastic opportunity to be a part of this community. Our goal is for customers to experience the exceptional service, selection and value Hobby Lobby offers as we continue to expand nationwide,” stated John Schumacher, Assistant Vice President of Advertising.
The store “offers more than 70,000 crafting and home decor products in its stores. Departments include floral, fabric, needle art, custom framing, baskets, home accents, wearable art, arts and crafts, jewelry making, scrapbooking and paper crafting supplies.”
Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. All Hobby Lobby stores are closed on Sunday.
We have written several articles on the incoming West Boca Hobby Lobby, and like Walmart it has been somewhat controversial among our readers.