Authorities Monday released the identity of the teenager killed early Saturday as he fled a Pensacola police officer.


Victor Demarius Steen of Pensacola, 17, died pinned beneath the wheels of a Pensacola police cruiser, Mike Morrison, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.

Steen's parents did not wish to comment Monday evening.

At the time of the incident, Steen was unidentified.

Investigators found a cell phone at the scene of the incident and used it to contact a family member who identified Steen's body.

Meanwhile, patrolman Jerald Ard, 35, who ran over Steen, was described by a police union lawyer as distraught after the incident.

"Obviously this was a tragedy for everyone involved," attorney Roy Kinsey said. "Ard was extremely upset that this happened."

Ard, a graduate of Tate High School, has been an officer for four years. He also spent more than four years in the Army, serving in the infantry.

Ard's police personnel record reveals that his driver license was suspended at one time but gives no information on when or why. It was reinstated by the time he became an officer in November 2005.

The personnel file says Ard was involved in a minor traffic crash while on duty and has made two improper arrests. The file also contains four notes of commendation for assisting citizens, including two visitors with flat tires.

Ard was on patrol about 1:50 a.m. Saturday when he saw Steen at a construction site near Cervantes and T streets in Brownsville.

When Steen rode away on a bicycle, Ard pursued him, turned on his cruiser's flashing lights and ordered him to stop, a police news release said. When Steen didn't stop, the officer tried to shock him with a Taser.

After the Taser was fired, Steen turned into a parking lot of the Wachovia Bank near R Street, crashed his bicycle and was run over by the pursuing cruiser, police said.

Whether the Taser probe struck the teenager is still unclear.

According to Ard's records, he was granted advanced Taser certification in 2006.
He scored 100 percent on a Taser quiz in May 2008 and 97 percent on a second quiz in September 2008.
(2 of 2)

Ard was placed on leave pending the outcome of an FDLE investigation. The results of that investigation will be turned over to the State Attorney's Office, which will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

The investigation could take weeks to complete.

Pensacola police said they could not release the dashboard video footage from the incident saying that it was part of the FDLE's ongoing investigation.

Ard's personnel file also says he backed his police cruiser into a parked car in May 2008. There were no injuries, and damage to the parked car was limited to $300.

The only disciplinary action was "an admonishment to drive more carefully."

In November 2008, Ard was cited for attempting to book a woman on a non-criminal offense that occurred during a traffic stop. When Ard took the woman to the Escambia County Jail, he learned that she could not be arrested on that charge.

"Officer Ard was cautioned that this was his second time to un-arrest someone, even though the circumstances were different, it was starting to hint of a pattern and that he needed to check more closely," Sgt. Timothy Gaudet wrote in a report.

Kinsey characterized Ard as a "good officer."

In December 2007, Ard helped a Pensacola woman locate her runaway daughter.
"He had a serious talk with her so I think he has made an impact," the woman wrote in an e-mail. "I can't thank him enough for taking charge of the situation and handling it so well. You should be proud to have him on your force."

Chief John Mathis recognized his work.

"Often times we do not devote the time to help people in such matters," Mathis wrote. "This goes to show how one incident can have a positive impact on the lives of the people we serve."

Ard was placed on leave pending the outcome of an FDLE investigation. The results of that investigation will be turned over to the State Attorney's Office, which will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

The investigation could take weeks to complete.

Pensacola police said they could not release the dashboard video footage from the incident saying that it was part of the FDLE's ongoing investigation.

Ard's personnel file also says he backed his police cruiser into a parked car in May 2008. There were no injuries, and damage to the parked car was limited to $300.

The only disciplinary action was "an admonishment to drive more carefully."

In November 2008, Ard was cited for attempting to book a woman on a non-criminal offense that occurred during a traffic stop. When Ard took the woman to the Escambia County Jail, he learned that she could not be arrested on that charge.

"Officer Ard was cautioned that this was his second time to un-arrest someone, even though the circumstances were different, it was starting to hint of a pattern and that he needed to check more closely," Sgt. Timothy Gaudet wrote in a report.

Kinsey characterized Ard as a "good officer."

In December 2007, Ard helped a Pensacola woman locate her runaway daughter.
"He had a serious talk with her so I think he has made an impact," the woman wrote in an e-mail. "I can't thank him enough for taking charge of the situation and handling it so well. You should be proud to have him on your force."

Chief John Mathis recognized his work.

"Often times we do not devote the time to help people in such matters," Mathis wrote. "This goes to show how one incident can have a positive impact on the lives of the people we serve."