Driver arrested behind Florida Road Rage wreck that killed 17-year-old

A Florida man is facing manslaughter and battery charging more than a year after a teenager died in a freeway accident.

According to state authorities, in April 2021, 39-year-old Gregory Lowe clipped a Toyota Camry on the Florida Turnpike near Boca Raton, causing the car to go off the road, hit a guardrail, overturn and hit another vehicle. Daquan Smith Jr. traveled to Miami with his parents from central Florida in a Toyota. He was thrown from the vehicle and died. His parents suffered minor injuries.

Lowe was arrested on July 29 on one count of involuntary manslaughter by vehicle and three counts of aggravated battery and is out on $120,000 bail. He was ordered to refrain from driving and to stay away from the victims.

Florida Highway Patrol investigators said Lowe was angry and intentionally changed lanes in front of the Toyota, causing it to go off the road. A private ambulance driver who witnessed the incident followed Lowe for 3 miles after the accident before stopping. Investigators said the ambulance was traveling 80 miles per hour behind Lowe, who was driving a Ford Connect Transit passenger van. The ambulance driver told highway patrol the van disrupted the Camry at least three times. He called 911 before the crash.

“It was very obvious that this would escalate or result in a crash,” the witness said.

Daquan Smith Sr. told investigators Lowe gestured to Smith to drive faster. His wife, Eboni Tucker Smith, said the driver was “driving” the car and persuaded her husband to drive faster. According to a Palm Beach Post report, Lowe was driving in the center lane behind the Toyota. He switched to the inside lane and “aggressively” moved into the middle lane, clipping the other car. It hit a Chevrolet Silverado. The driver and passenger of the Chevrolet were also reportedly injured in the accident.

“It wasn’t a coincidence. It was intentional,” Smith told investigators. “I know it was intentional. He came on my trail twice.”

Lowe also told investigators Smith made hand gestures and possibly waved his middle finger. He said he changed lanes to get away from the other driver and is preparing to exit in two miles. Lowe reportedly told the ambulance driver that the same car cut him off the previous week.

“People always interrupt me with this m—————r!” Lowe is said to have said.

The couple in the Toyota told authorities Lowe also side-swept the car, but the Florida Highway Patrol found no evidence to support the claim.

“My van has not been contacted. I didn’t hit anyone and drove away,” Lowe told investigators.

Eboni Tucker Smith said Daquan was a “sweet, creative and supportive kid” who was affectionately called “Daddyo.”

“He loved to cook. He loved Sponge-Bob, and he loved the Lord,” his mother wrote on a fundraising page, adding that she wants the “perpetrator” “to be prosecuted and convicted to the fullest extent of the law.”