Boca Cops Use Car Part Left In Roadway to Track Crash Suspect to Taco Bell

Elizabeth Beck (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A 21-year-old driver who allegedly crashed into a sign, blocking a major road, was tracked to a nearby Taco Bell drive-through lane after a car part left at the scene matched her vehicle model, according to a police report.

Elizabeth Beck, 21, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage and resisting or obstructing an officer without violence. Both are misdemeanors. The report accuses her of crashing a white Porsche SUV into a city road sign, then driving away and later refusing to identify herself to police. A witness confirmed the vehicle type to police.

An officer on patrol around 4:24 a.m. Sunday morning found vehicle debris at Dixie Highway and Palmetto Park Road, along with a large roadway sign that had been knocked down and was blocking several lanes of traffic, the report says. Among the debris were a driver-side front fog light, a piece of a white vehicle’s front bumper, another vehicle part and a piece of trim bearing the Porsche name. Officers used a part number found on one of the parts at the scene to identify the vehicle as a Porsche Macan. They began searching the area for a white Macan with heavy front driver-side damage and a missing driver-side fog light.

A sergeant spotted a matching vehicle at the Taco Bell drive-through on W. Palmetto Park Road, the report says. The sergeant ordered the driver, later identified as Beck, out of the car. Police said she was told she was not free to leave but twice tried to walk away despite commands to stay. She was then detained.

According to the report, Beck repeatedly asked to be let go and said she had no idea what the officer was talking about. Police said she refused to give her name, even after being told she was legally required to identify herself during a criminal investigation. She ultimately did confirm she was the vehicle’s only driver, according to the report, and was given “multiple opportunities to provide her name and her account of the crash.” She later told officers she “just hydroplaned,” according to the report.

The sign sustained about $500 in damage, police said. Beck was released after posting $1,250 cash bond for the two charges.