What began as a robbery charge against a Fort Lauderdale man has escalated to a murder charge after his suspected accomplice was struck and killed by a truck.  Eddie Cooper, 23, had allegedly been breaking into cars at a movie theater parking lot Thursday night in Boca Raton with his accomplice Earl Storey, 27.  The police started chasing the pair when they sideswiped a police cruiser.  Officers used tire deflation strips to stop them.  That’s when Storey got out of the car and ran across the street where he was struck by an AT&T service truck.  He died on the scene.

Now Cooper is charged with Storey’s murder as well as robbery (second-degree felony murder) as well as aggravated assault on police, fleeing from police and burglary.  He was held without bond.  A felony murder allows prosecutors to charge Cooper with murder because his alleged accomplice was taking part in a crime when he died.  It doesn’t matter if Cooper did not have direct involvement in the killing.