Updated

Updated · Florida Today · Jun 24

Titusville Fires Police Chief John Lau After City SUV Crash, Naming 94-Officer Force's Deputy Interim Chief

Updated

Updated · Florida Today · Jun 24

Titusville Fires Police Chief John Lau After City SUV Crash, Naming 94-Officer Force's Deputy Interim Chief

Q: After flipping his city vehicle, why did a police chief refuse a drug test that ultimately ended his career?

There is no confirmed public explanation for why John Lau refused the drug test. What is established is that the refusal itself violated Titusville’s personnel policy and was the stated basis for firing him. According to the city manager’s termination notice and follow-up reporting, Lau was involved in a late-night single-vehicle rollover crash in an unmarked city-issued Chevrolet Tahoe on June 23. Afterward, during the city’s administrative response, he refused to submit to a drug test. A preliminary review found that refusal breached the city’s drug and alcohol policy, and he was terminated on June 24. The available reporting does not say whether Lau gave a reason for refusing, whether he was advised by counsel, or whether medical circumstances at the hospital played any role. No criminal charges had been filed as of Wednesday, and the Florida Highway Patrol investigation into the crash was still ongoing. His dismissal also came against the backdrop of a contentious tenure as chief. Lau had already faced heavy criticism over transparency issues, especially his handling of body-camera footage and officer identification after the 2025 shooting of Tri-Marea Charles. But in this case, the immediate cause of his firing was not those earlier controversies; it was the policy violation tied to refusing the post-crash drug test.

Q: With the controversial chief fired, will Titusville finally release the full bodycam videos from the fatal 2025 shooting?

No one has announced that Titusville will now release the full body-camera footage from the 2025 Tri-Marea Charles shooting. What has changed is leadership. John Lau was fired on June 24, 2026, after a crash in a city vehicle and an administrative finding that he violated city personnel policy, including refusing a drug test. Deputy Chief Tyler Wright is now interim chief. Lau had been the central figure in the city’s refusal to fully disclose the Charles shooting footage, releasing only a limited, curated set after the state attorney cleared the officer. That means the main obstacle identified by critics is gone, but the legal and administrative barriers may still remain. Body-camera footage in police shooting cases is often withheld until all related investigations and reviews are complete, and any release can be subject to redactions for privacy, evidentiary, or safety reasons. The city could choose to revisit Lau’s prior decision, but there is no public indication yet that it has done so. The practical next step is whether the interim chief, city manager, or city attorneys change the department’s public-records position. If the investigations are fully closed and Florida law does not exempt the remaining footage, renewed public-records requests or political pressure could increase the chances of broader release. As of now, though, Lau’s firing does not by itself mean the full videos are coming out.

3 articles · Updated · Florida Today · Jun 24

John Lau was terminated early Wednesday after a single-vehicle crash late Tuesday while driving an unmarked city-issued Chevrolet Tahoe in Titusville, City Manager Tom Abbate said.
Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 11:30 p.m. at Barna Avenue and River Oaks Drive, where the SUV veered off the road and flipped several times; Lau suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Parrish Medical Center.
No charges were filed, and troopers released no details on possible seatbelt use, vehicle malfunction or impairment, saying the crash remains under investigation.
Tyler Wright was appointed interim chief to run the department, which has 94 sworn officers, during the transition.
Lau, chief since 2012 and paid $188,858 a year, had already faced heavy criticism over transparency in the 2025 police shooting of Tri-Marea Charles.