Retired Cop Lauded For Telling Son To Talk With Police. Questions Over What Happened Before Crash Emerge. Boca Speeding Ticket Dismissed In 2024.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher | BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2025 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The driver questioned in a fatal hit-and-run crash early Sunday morning is the son of a retired Boca Raton Police Officer. BocaNewsNow.com has learned exclusively that the retired officer — Douglas Brown — was instrumental in convincing his son to talk to police after fleeing the scene.
As BocaNewsNow.com first reported following the incident, Boca Raton Police say Douglas Brown, Jr., 19, was driving a 2006 Chevy Silverado in the 1300 Block of SW 14th Avenue around 2:30 a.m. on November 30th. That’s when there was a confrontation with a 17-year-old pedestrian who was “known to the driver.”
“At some point,” said police, “the Chevrolet drove off while the victim was still in close proximity to the vehicle. The driver struck the victim as the vehicle drove off, causing life-threatening injuries. The driver did not stop and proceeded to leave the area.”
Sources tell BocaNewsNow.com that tire tracks were found on the victim’s body before he was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
BocaNewsNow.com has learned that there may have been a confrontation prior to the incident. Sources say Brown may have engaged with the victim a short time before the hit-and-run, then drove to FAU to pick up two teens — then returned to engage with the victim. Police confirm there were two passengers in the Chevrolet at the time the victim was run over but have not commented on the possibility of a previous encounter. Neither of the passengers are accused of wrongdoing.
Douglas Brown, Jr., was not arrested even though he initially fled — a potential felony in Florida. He was also not charged with the pedestrian’s death. Traffic homicide investigations in Florida routinely take a year. Douglas Brown, Jr., was issued a citation by Boynton Beach Police in September of this year. He plead guilty to running a red light at Congress and Gateway Boulevard. He was also issued a speeding ticket by a Boca Raton Police officer who said he clocked him driving 80 mph in the 3100 block of North Federal Highway in April of 2024. The case was dismissed by hearing officer John Kurtz.
