Jaylen Baron
•9/14/2026
The family of 17-year-old Terrell Bruce, who was killed in a hit-and-run crash, is calling for a longer prison sentence for the driver, Angelica Clark, who accepted a plea deal and will serve four years. “You did not hit a cat or a dog or a deer. You hit my 17-year-old brother and then you left. You left him there. And he lived there, scared and critically injured and all alone while he's out there,” said Aubrey Deming Hernandez, Bruce’s sister. Hernandez was the first to confront Clark, asking her to look at the face on her shirt—the face of the boy she hit and left to die. Clark accepted a plea deal and will serve four years in prison. She remained stoic during the hearing but eventually broke down in tears, apologizing to Bruce’s family. Troopers arrested Clark in May, stating she hit Bruce while he was riding his e-bike and then drove away, leaving him critically injured. Bruce’s family remembers him as a boy with a good heart who supported his siblings and single mother. Lyndsay Bruce, his mother, held her son’s ashes in court, pleading with the judge for Clark to serve more time. “My son's Terrell Bruce died a hero, and although he wasn't given the opportunity to put up a fight, we, the family, have fought for justice for him,” Lyndsay Bruce said. Bruce had asked his mother about being an organ donor if anything were to happen to him. His mother shared that his donation saved an 11-month-old baby, a 13-year-old, and others. The crash occurred near Coliseum Boulevard and Wilmington Boulevard. Video from the scene shows the aftermath, including Bruce’s e-bike, which his mother said he had saved up to buy to help with his commute to work. “As I was driving home, I spent 15 years in health care. I seen a body on the side of the road. I stopped in the middle of the road and as soon as I seen the bike, I seen the McDonald's shirt. I knew it was my son. I didn't have my phone on me. I immediately check for his pulse,” Lyndsay Bruce said. After hitting Bruce, Clark went home and told her son she had seen the bicyclist but assumed someone would stop. Her son called police. Troopers said they found Clark and her damaged SUV at a home in Port Charlotte. She allegedly told them she left the scene because she was scared and had been drinking. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
