Search fatalities

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REASON WHY POLICE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION:
No police activity was involved. Officer Michael Aregano was off duty and driving his fiancée’s personal Toyota Highlander to dinner in Syracuse. Although his final patrol shift had occurred on 10/28/2021, he remained employed as a Cicero Police Department patrol officer until his retirement on 12/31/2021.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/17/2021, at approximately 7:08 p.m., 20-year-old Chatuma M. Crawford III was on Northern Boulevard near Totman Road in Cicero. Crawford and his girlfriend had attended a birthday party together earlier that evening. After an argument, Crawford left their vehicle and walked south along Northern Boulevard. According to his girlfriend, Crawford threw his cellphone several times while walking; the final time, it traveled across the southbound lanes, and Crawford entered the roadway to retrieve it.
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Aregano was driving south in the left lane of Northern Boulevard with his fiancée as a passenger. The roadway was dark and had no streetlights. Aregano told investigators that he noticed a stopped vehicle on the shoulder but did not see Crawford before striking him with the SUV. A motorist traveling directly behind Aregano estimated that both vehicles were traveling approximately 50 mph; the speed limit at the collision site was 55 mph.
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Aregano struck Crawford in the southbound left lane just south of Totman Road. Crawford's girlfriend said she had seen Crawford near the yellow line by the median immediately before the collision. She found him unconscious and unresponsive after the impact. Aregano stopped, called 911 and reported that he had struck a person. Emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures, but Crawford died at the scene.
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The New York State Police reconstructed the collision. Investigators found no evidence that Aregano was speeding, impaired or distracted. The reconstruction and witness evidence indicated that darkness, the absence of street lighting and Crawford's dark clothing substantially limited visibility. The medical examiner concluded that Crawford was probably bent over when he was struck, consistent with the account that he was attempting to retrieve his cellphone.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 0 reported injuries.
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DISPOSITION:
The New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation investigated Aregano's role in Crawford's death because New York law requires review when a police officer, including an off-duty officer, may have caused a person's death. OSI reviewed eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, crash reconstruction, medical evidence and other investigative material. On 12/29/2022, OSI concluded that the evidence did not establish criminal conduct by Aregano and declined to file criminal charges.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

https://ag.ny.gov/index.php/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-office-special-investigation-releases-report-death-chatuma
https://cnycentral.com/news/local/ags-office-finds-cicero-officer-did-not-commit-crime-in-2021-deadly-pedestrian-crash
https://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/pedestrian-killed-after-getting-hit-by-car-driven-by-an-off-duty-cicero-police-officer/
https://www.syracuse.com/crime/2021/12/off-duty-cicero-police-officer-driving-car-that-hit-killed-20-year-old-pedestrian.html

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Kokomo Police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a 2016 Nissan near Mulberry and Washington Streets. The specific traffic violation or other reason police initiated the stop was not disclosed in the available reporting.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/11/2021, at approximately 3:15 a.m., Kokomo Police officers attempted to stop a 2016 Nissan near Mulberry and Washington Streets. The driver continued driving away and police escalated a pursuit through Kokomo.
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Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit after officers lost sight of the Nissan. Shortly afterward, officers were dispatched to a serious collision at North Berkley Road and West Jefferson Street, where the same Nissan had crashed into a Dodge Ram.
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Twenty-four-year-old Sydney Leigh Glenn was a passenger in the Nissan. She suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the crash scene. The Nissan's driver and another passenger were injured, and the driver of the uninvolved Dodge Ram was also injured.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 3 Injuries.
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DISPOSITION:
Arrest warrants were subsequently issued for two people in connection with the fatal crash. The available reporting does not establish a criminal charge against a Kokomo Police officer for the officers' role in initiating the pursuit. The identity of the officer who initiated the traffic stop and pursuit was not publicly disclosed in the sources located.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/kokomo-woman-killed-in-overnight-crash-nissan-fled-traffic-stop/531-e4351760-88a1-4508-86e2-239735d93c1b
https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/kokomo-police-investigating-early-morning-pursuit-that-left-one-dead/
https://www.wishtv.com/news/crime-watch-8/arrest-warrants-issued-for-2-people-involved-in-fatal-kokomo-crash/
https://cbs4indy.com/news/kokomo-police-investigating-early-morning-fatal-crash/

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Robbinsdale Police officers spotted a black Mercedes SUV that had been reported stolen during an armed carjacking in Minneapolis the previous evening. Officers attempted a high-risk traffic stop after locating the vehicle near County Road 81 and Abbott Avenue North.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/09/2021, at approximately 2:00 a.m., Robbinsdale Police officers located the reported stolen Mercedes SUV near County Road 81 and Abbott Avenue North in Robbinsdale. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle and then escalated a high-speed pursuit when the driver continued driving away. Five juveniles were inside the SUV.
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Police pursued the SUV east along Lowry Avenue from Robbinsdale into northeast Minneapolis. Robbinsdale Police Chief Patrick Foley said the pursuit covered approximately four miles. The SUV eventually lost control at Lowry Avenue Northeast and Hayes Street Northeast near Windom Park. The force of the collision split the SUV into two pieces.
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Sixteen-year-old Shawndale Devon Hickman, a passenger in the SUV, died at the crash scene from multiple blunt-force injuries. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner recorded his time of death as approximately 2:27 a.m. A second juvenile survived the initial crash but subsequently died at a hospital. The remaining three juveniles suffered substantial injuries and were hospitalized.
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The Minnesota State Patrol conducted crash reconstruction while Robbinsdale Police investigated the pursuit. The fatal crash prompted the Racial Justice Network and other community activists to call for a statewide prohibition on high-speed police pursuits, arguing that such pursuits unnecessarily endanger passengers and bystanders.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 3 Injuries.
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DISPOSITION:
The juvenile who was driving the SUV was subsequently prosecuted in connection with the crash and the underlying carjacking. The available records do not identify criminal charges against the Robbinsdale Police officers for their role in initiating and continuing the approximately four-mile pursuit that ended in the fatal crash. The involved pursuing officer or officers have not been publicly identified in the sources located.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/12/09/minnesota-crash-after-police-pursuit-leaves-2-dead-3-hurt
https://www.ccxmedia.org/news/two-juveniles-dead-three-injured-after-robbinsdale-police-pursue-stolen-car/
https://www.fox9.com/news/two-dead-3-injured-following-crash-in-minneapolis
https://www.startribune.com/teen-killed-in-northeast-minneapolis-crash-while-fleeing-police-idd/600128188/
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/minneapolis-teen-charged-in-carjacking-chase-that-left-2-dead
https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MNHENNE/2021/12/16/file_attachments/2025280/2021-08704%20Hickman%2C%20Shawndale%20Devon.pdf
 

On 12/09/2021, 16-year-old Debra Ward was fatally injured when a stolen Mercedes SUV in which she was a passenger crashed at Northeast Lowry Avenue and Hayes Street Northeast during a high-speed pursuit by Robbinsdale Police Department officers.

The Mercedes had been taken during an armed carjacking near North 12th and Fremont avenues in Minneapolis at approximately 6 p.m. on December 8, and Minneapolis police notified surrounding law-enforcement agencies about the stolen vehicle.

At approximately 2:24 a.m., Robbinsdale police located the Mercedes near County Road 81 and Abbott Avenue North and attempted a high-risk traffic stop. The driver continued driving away, and Robbinsdale officers pursued the Mercedes approximately four miles into Minneapolis.

The Mercedes reached speeds between 60 and 110 mph on Lowry Avenue while the driver ran red lights, passed vehicles and drove into oncoming traffic. The pursuing officer lost sight of the Mercedes after it crested a hill near Lowry Avenue and Johnson Street Northeast while traveling approximately 110 mph.

The Mercedes subsequently went out of control at Lowry Avenue and Hayes Street Northeast, struck a tree and split into two sections. Ward and another passenger were ejected; Ward was transported to a hospital and died from her injuries. Another passenger died at the scene and two other teenagers were injured.
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The Minnesota State Patrol conducted the crash reconstruction.

OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Robbinsdale police officer or officers who conducted the pursuit have not been publicly

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/12/09/minnesota-crash-after-police-pursuit-leaves-2-dead-3-hurt
https://www.ccxmedia.org/news/two-juveniles-dead-three-injured-after-robbinsdale-police-pursue-stolen-car/
https://www.fox9.com/news/two-dead-3-injured-following-crash-in-minneapolis
https://www.startribune.com/two-juveniles-dead-after-stolen-vehicle-crashes-in-ne-minneapolis-during-police-pursuit/600125351/
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/minneapolis-teen-charged-in-carjacking-chase-that-left-2-dead
 

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Joliet Police responded to reports that shots had been fired from a vehicle near Cass and Collins Streets. Officers subsequently located a stolen vehicle matching the description near Cass and Eastern Avenue and attempted to stop it.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/08/2021, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Joliet Police responded to the area of Cass and Collins Streets after receiving a report of gunfire from a vehicle. Officers subsequently located a stolen vehicle matching the description near Cass and Eastern Avenue. Police attempted a traffic stop and escalated a high-speed pursuit westbound on Cass Street when the driver continued driving away.
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Police lost sight of the vehicle as it crossed the Cass Street Bridge, but other Joliet officers subsequently located it traveling west on Western Avenue and continued the pursuit. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit because the vehicle was traveling at high speed through residential neighborhoods without headlights.
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Shortly afterward, the vehicle crashed into a large tree in the 1100 block of Glenwood Avenue at approximately 8:44 p.m. The impact caused the vehicle to catch fire. Seventeen-year-old passenger Kahleel Gaines-Streeter was killed. Two other teenagers were critically injured and hospitalized. One of them, 18-year-old D’Shawn Amari Pierce, died from his injuries on 12/15/2021, making this a two-fatality pursuit crash.
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A later wrongful-death lawsuit challenged the police account and alleged negligence by Joliet officers in conducting the pursuit. Among the allegations were that officers operated police vehicles improperly during an emergency pursuit and continued the pursuit through a residential neighborhood.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 surviving passenger injured.
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DISPOSITION:
No criminal charges against Joliet Police officers for their role in initiating and continuing the pursuit were identified. A later civil lawsuit named officers Ken Macejak, Justin Aloisio and Casey Killian as defendants along with the City of Joliet and Joliet Police Department.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Officers Ken Macejak, Justin Aloisio and Casey Killian were identified as defendants in litigation arising from the fatal pursuit.
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LITIGATION:
A wrongful-death lawsuit was filed in Will County Circuit Court on behalf of Kahleel Gaines-Streeter and surviving passenger Montavian Jackson against the City of Joliet, Joliet Police Department and officers Ken Macejak, Justin Aloisio and Casey Killian. The lawsuit alleged numerous acts of negligence connected to the officers' conduct of the pursuit, including pursuing through a residential neighborhood and improper operation of police vehicles during the pursuit.

https://www.wgnradio.com/news/chicago-news/joliet-police-pursuit-ends-in-fatal-crash/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/joliet/ct-joliet-police-chase-fatal-crash-20211209-story.html
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/joliet-police-pursuit-ends-in-fatal-crash/2708094/
https://patch.com/illinois/joliet/joliet-police-face-wrongful-death-suit-after-2021-chase-2-teens-die

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Joliet Police responded to reports that shots had been fired from a vehicle near Cass and Collins Streets. Officers subsequently located a stolen vehicle matching the description near Cass and Eastern Avenue and attempted to stop it.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/08/2021, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Joliet Police responded to the area of Cass and Collins Streets after receiving a report of gunfire from a vehicle. Officers subsequently located a stolen vehicle matching the description near Cass and Eastern Avenue. Police attempted a traffic stop and escalated a high-speed pursuit westbound on Cass Street when the driver continued driving away.
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Police lost sight of the vehicle as it crossed the Cass Street Bridge, but other Joliet officers subsequently located it traveling west on Western Avenue and continued the pursuit. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit because the vehicle was traveling at high speed through residential neighborhoods without headlights.
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Shortly afterward, the vehicle crashed into a large tree in the 1100 block of Glenwood Avenue at approximately 8:44 p.m. The impact caused the vehicle to catch fire. Seventeen-year-old passenger Kahleel Gaines-Streeter was killed. Two other teenagers were critically injured and hospitalized. One of them, 18-year-old D’Shawn Amari Pierce, died from his injuries on 12/15/2021, making this a two-fatality pursuit crash.
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A later wrongful-death lawsuit challenged the police account and alleged negligence by Joliet officers in conducting the pursuit. Among the allegations were that officers operated police vehicles improperly during an emergency pursuit and continued the pursuit through a residential neighborhood.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 surviving passenger injured.
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DISPOSITION:
No criminal charges against Joliet Police officers for their role in initiating and continuing the pursuit were identified. A later civil lawsuit named officers Ken Macejak, Justin Aloisio and Casey Killian as defendants along with the City of Joliet and Joliet Police Department.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Officers Ken Macejak, Justin Aloisio and Casey Killian were identified as defendants in litigation arising from the fatal pursuit.
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LITIGATION:
A wrongful-death lawsuit was filed in Will County Circuit Court on behalf of Kahleel Gaines-Streeter and surviving passenger Montavian Jackson against the City of Joliet, Joliet Police Department and officers Ken Macejak, Justin Aloisio and Casey Killian. The lawsuit alleged numerous acts of negligence connected to the officers' conduct of the pursuit, including pursuing through a residential neighborhood and improper operation of police vehicles during the pursuit.

https://www.wgnradio.com/news/chicago-news/joliet-police-pursuit-ends-in-fatal-crash/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/joliet/ct-joliet-police-chase-fatal-crash-20211209-story.html
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/joliet-police-pursuit-ends-in-fatal-crash/2708094/
https://patch.com/illinois/joliet/joliet-police-face-wrongful-death-suit-after-2021-chase-2-teens-die

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Pennsylvania State Police troopers encountered Rodriguez stopped on an Interstate 78 entrance ramp in Upper Macungie Township. When troopers approached the vehicle, Rodriguez drove away. The available reporting does not establish why troopers initially approached the stopped vehicle.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/07/2021, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police troopers encountered 21-year-old Julian A. Rodriguez stopped in a vehicle on an Interstate 78 entrance ramp in Upper Macungie Township. When troopers approached, Rodriguez drove away, and state police escalated a pursuit that continued through Lehigh County and into Berks County.
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The pursuit continued westbound on Interstate 78 to Exit 40 in Greenwich Township. Rodriguez exited the interstate at high speed, lost control of the vehicle and crashed.
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Rodriguez suffered critical injuries and was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where he died shortly before 2 a.m. He was subsequently identified as Julian Rodriguez, 21, of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
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DISPOSITION:
No criminal charges against Pennsylvania State Police troopers for their role in initiating and continuing the pursuit were identified.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Pennsylvania State Police did not publicly identify the trooper who initiated the pursuit or the other trooper(s) who participated in it.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/2021/12/driver-dies-after-3-county-state-police-pursuit-ends-in-crash-off-i-78.html
https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/police-chase-ends-in-fatal-crash-off-i-78/article_b8583b02-5816-11ec-bd66-1f4a0638c3b1.html
https://www.mcall.com/2021/12/08/police-chase-fatal-crash-bethlehem-i78/
https://www.lvpnews.com/20211224/driver-killed-in-one-vehicle-greenwich-township-crash/

A Des Moines Police officer observed a van traveling in reverse on Southeast 14th Street before it entered a parking lot. The officer contacted the driver, Donald Hill, who police alleged provided a false name. Hill subsequently ran from the officer, who initiated a foot pursuit.

EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/06/2021, at approximately 8:00 p.m., a Des Moines Police officer observed a van traveling in reverse along Southeast 14th Street and followed it into a parking lot. The officer stopped and questioned 31-year-old Donald Hill. Police alleged Hill provided a false name and then ran from the encounter.

The officer pursued Hill on foot and caught up with him. Police reported that Hill and the officer became involved in a physical struggle, and the officer radioed for assistance. Hill subsequently ran into Southeast 14th Street, with the officer continuing the foot pursuit immediately behind him.

As Hill and the officer entered the roadway, an approaching vehicle struck both men. Hill suffered fatal injuries and died after being transported to a hospital. The 48-year-old officer suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized.

https://abc17news.com/news/ap-iowa/2021/12/07/police-suspect-killed-officer-hurt-when-both-hit-by-car/

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
A Tusculum Police officer was conducting another traffic stop when a vehicle passed the officer at approximately 104 mph. The officer activated emergency lights and siren and initiated the pursuit.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/04/2021, shortly after midnight, a Tusculum Police officer was conducting a traffic stop when another vehicle passed at approximately 104 mph. The officer initiated a high-speed pursuit, and Tusculum Police Chief Danny Greene subsequently joined it. Police continued the chase approximately 22 miles from Tusculum through Greene County and into Johnson City.
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The pursuit continued into the West Market Street corridor in Johnson City. At approximately the 3300 block of West Market Street, the fleeing vehicle struck the rear of a 2012 Scion hatchback driven by 22-year-old Anna Grace Pearson at high speed. The impact forced Pearson's vehicle off the roadway and into a ditch. Pearson died at the scene. The fleeing vehicle continued onto Hopper Road before coming to a stop.
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The fatal crash drew later scrutiny because police had continued an approximately 22-mile pursuit that began solely after the vehicle passed an officer at 104 mph. In a February 2022 WJHL investigation, two police-pursuit experts said the chase should not have occurred or should have been terminated before reaching Johnson City.
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Pearson had graduated from East Tennessee State University in May 2021 with a degree in Media and Communication. Friends remembered her as a singer-songwriter and musician with significant creative ambitions.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 1 Injury.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Pearson's family and friends questioned why police continued a high-speed pursuit for approximately 22 miles when the vehicle could potentially have been identified and apprehended later. WJHL's subsequent investigation examined the pursuit as an example of the danger created for completely uninvolved motorists when police continue high-speed chases over long distances.
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DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver, Christian Morrow, later pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in Washington County and was sentenced to six years in prison.
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No criminal charges against Chief Danny Greene or the unidentified Tusculum officer for their roles in initiating and continuing the approximately 22-mile pursuit were located. The available public reporting does not document a disciplinary finding against either officer despite later expert criticism of the decision to continue the chase.
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LITIGATION:
None found.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Tusculum Police Chief Danny Greene participated in the pursuit. The department did not publicly identify the officer who initially began the pursuit.

https://www.wjhl.com/news/investigations/a-rising-star-threatening-to-eclipse-the-sun-friends-remember-police-pursuit-victim/
https://pursuitforchange.org/voices-of-victims/cost-of-the-chase-an-examination-of-police-pursuits/
https://wcyb.com/news/local/thp-driver-of-vehicle-fleeing-from-tusculum-pd-crashes-into-another-vehicle-woman-killed
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/f7dd101b/
https://wgrv.com/mosheim-man-pleads-guilty-in-2021-fatal-wreck/
https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=commencement

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Houston Police initiated a pursuit after five teenagers allegedly stole a woman’s pickup truck during an armed carjacking in a grocery-store parking lot. Police had access to the stolen vehicle’s internal GPS location data.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/04/2021, at approximately 5:40 p.m., Houston Police officers were pursuing the reported stolen pickup in the Sunnyside area after locating it through the vehicle’s GPS system. The initial pursuit ended at an apartment complex when the teenagers abandoned the pickup and ran. Officer Orlando Hernandez and his partner, Officer Anthony Aranda, were patrolling nearby and decided to respond to an officer-assistance call connected with the search. Later federal litigation alleged that Hernandez was neither assigned nor authorized to join the pursuit response and could not see the pursued vehicle when he began driving toward the scene.
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Hernandez drove the marked Ford police SUV westbound on Reed Road at speeds between approximately 80 and 100 mph on a roadway with a 40-mph speed limit. The pavement was wet from recent rain. Body-camera footage showed Hernandez maneuvering through traffic at high speed, at times steering with one hand, and proceeding through a red traffic signal at Cullen Boulevard while driving toward Scott Street.
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Approximately 34 seconds after Hernandez passed Cullen Boulevard, and after traveling roughly 3,755 feet, he approached stopped traffic at Reed Road and Scott Street. Hernandez made a sharp evasive steering maneuver, lost control of the police SUV, jumped the curb and drove onto the sidewalk. HPD’s own crash investigation concluded that Hernandez was traveling at an unsafe speed for roadway conditions and performed a faulty evasive maneuver.
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Michael Wayne Jackson was walking west on the sidewalk toward his cousin’s barbershop when Hernandez’s police SUV struck him. The cruiser continued into a nearby parking area and crashed into a dumpster. Hernandez and Aranda exited and attempted aid, and other officers arrived seconds later. Jackson died at the scene.
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Jackson worked nights in road construction and had planned to eat at Red Lobster with his family later that day after getting some rest. Instead, he decided to take the bus to get a haircut. He was a husband, father and primary provider and caregiver for his wife Janice and their adopted daughter Ky’lee; he also helped care for his disabled brother Timothy.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality. No injuries to Hernandez or Aranda were reported.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Jackson’s widow, Janice Jackson, said Hernandez should have been held accountable for killing her husband. Jackson’s brother Timothy questioned the officer’s training and said Michael had simply been walking to get a haircut when he was killed. The family later argued in federal court that HPD failed to adequately train officers in alternatives to dangerous high-speed pursuits and allowed pursuit practices that endangered uninvolved residents.
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DISPOSITION:
HPD’s internal investigation found that Hernandez was traveling at an unsafe speed and performed a faulty evasive action. The department suspended Hernandez for 30 days and placed him on one year of probation for his role in the pursuit response that killed Jackson.
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The Harris County District Attorney’s Office presented Hernandez’s conduct to a grand jury for possible criminally negligent homicide. In 2022, the grand jury returned a no bill, and Hernandez was not criminally charged. Aranda, who was riding as Hernandez’s partner, was not presented to the grand jury and returned to duty.
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LITIGATION:
Janice Jackson, individually and as representative of Michael Wayne Jackson’s estate, sued the City of Houston along with families from other fatal HPD pursuit cases. The federal case, Jackson v. City of Houston, Case No. 4:23-cv-00052, was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on 01/06/2023. The lawsuit alleged, among other claims, that HPD failed to train officers in alternatives to high-speed pursuits and that departmental policies contributed to fatal pursuits in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
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U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt initially allowed Jackson’s state-law claims to proceed, finding unresolved factual questions concerning Hernandez’s conduct and noting HPD’s own determination that Hernandez was driving at an unsafe speed. On 07/15/2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed the lower court on the governmental-immunity issue, substantially narrowing the family’s path to recovery against Houston. As of August 2025, Janice Jackson said she intended to continue pursuing accountability.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Officer Orlando Hernandez was 25 and had been with HPD for less than two years when he killed Jackson; Officer Anthony Aranda was also 25. Hernandez received a 30-day suspension and one year of probation after HPD found his speed unsafe and his evasive maneuver faulty. No earlier fatal pursuit or comparable disciplinary incident involving Hernandez or Aranda was located in the records reviewed.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/12/07/its-like-a-nightmare-family-mourns-death-innocent-man-hit-killed-by-hpd-officer-during-chase/
https://abc13.com/post/houston-police-crash-pedestrian-hit-and-killed-by-hpd-officer-michael-wayne-jackson-chase-death/11305613/
https://abc13.com/post/houston-police-crash-pedestrian-hit-and-killed-by-hpd-officer-no-charges-orlando-hernandez-not-charged-with-homicide/12048947/
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-police-hits-pedestrian-pursuit-16745763.php
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/houston-police-speeding-car-crash-death-18336526.php
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investigations/article/houston-police-chase-deaths-18329110.php
https://www.keranews.org/criminal-justice/2025-08-12/qualified-immunity-police-chase-victims-lawsuits-houston-police-department-dallas-texas
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/texas/txsdce/4%3A2023cv00052/1901503/28/
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca5/24-20047/24-20047-2025-07-15.html

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
A Solon Police officer identified a blue 2012 Ford Fusion as a vehicle reported stolen at gunpoint in Cleveland the previous day. The officer attempted a traffic stop near Solon Road and Erico Drive.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 12/03/2021, at approximately 2:40 p.m., a Solon Police officer spotted the reported stolen Ford Fusion traveling east on Solon Road near Erico Drive. After confirming the vehicle's status through dispatch, the officer attempted to stop it. The driver continued driving away, and police escalated a pursuit east along Solon Road into Bentleyville and Chagrin Falls.
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Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit after the Solon officer lost sight of the Ford. A short time later, another law-enforcement agency located the same vehicle and pursued it westbound back toward Solon. The official crash report identifies the Ford as actively fleeing Bentleyville Police immediately before the fatal collision. Solon officers repositioned along Solon Road after learning that the pursuit was returning toward the city.
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A Solon officer traveling east on Solon Road reported seeing the Ford approaching at approximately 80 mph in a 35-mph zone and swerving into the officer's lane. Another Solon officer positioned near Solon Road and Erico Drive deployed Stop Sticks across the roadway. Police said the driver attempted to avoid the tire-deflation device, lost control and crossed into the eastbound lanes.
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The Ford struck a Chevrolet Silverado carrying 85-year-old Sally Bay Schultz and her 89-year-old husband. The impact spun the Chevrolet approximately 300 degrees before it struck a Ford Econoline van. Schultz suffered critical injuries and was transported to a hospital, where she died later that day. Her husband and the 37-year-old driver of the van were also hospitalized. The two men in the pursued Ford suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
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Solon Police subsequently released five body-camera and dash-camera recordings. The released footage did not show the actual collision and did not include body-camera footage from the officer who deployed the Stop Sticks. Police Chief Richard Tonelli said he believed the officers had acted appropriately and followed department protocol.
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Sally Schultz, born Sally Wagner, had been married to Norman James Schultz for 65 years. She was the mother of five children, grandmother of 12 and great-grandmother of six. Her family requested memorial contributions to the United Methodist Church of Chagrin Falls, the Bainbridge Township Historical Society or another charity.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 4 Injuries.
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DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver, Jaymarlon Hayes, was indicted for involuntary manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, carrying a concealed weapon and failure to comply. He later pleaded guilty to multiple charges arising from this and other cases. His convictions were upheld on appeal, although the Ohio Court of Appeals subsequently ordered modifications to portions of the consecutive sentences.
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Solon Police Chief Richard Tonelli publicly defended the officers' role in initiating and participating in the pursuit and deployment of Stop Sticks, stating that he believed they acted appropriately and followed protocol. No criminal charges against the Solon or Bentleyville officers for their roles in the pursuits or the deployment of Stop Sticks that immediately preceded the fatal collision were identified.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Solon and Bentleyville authorities did not publicly identify the officer who initiated the first pursuit, the officer(s) involved in the subsequent pursuit, or the Solon officer who deployed the Stop Sticks.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/crime/solon-police-pursuit-vehicle-ends-crash-death-female-passenger/95-072e3c22-41fc-4c54-8734-ff2816cb91d7
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/solon-police-release-video-of-pursuit-that-turned-deadly
https://fox8.com/news/police-pursuit-of-stolen-car-in-solon-ends-in-crash-85-year-old-woman-critically-injured/
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/oh-cuyahoga/charges-filed-in-fatal-solon-police-pursuit-that-left-an-85-year-old-woman-dead
https://patch.com/ohio/solon/85-year-old-woman-killed-car-crash-solon-police
https://www.cleveland19.com/2021/12/08/solon-police-release-footage-chase-that-killed-innocent-bystander-chief-believes-officers-acted-appropriately/
https://www.cleveland19.com/2021/12/09/19-year-old-driver-facing-charges-deadly-chase-with-solon-police-stolen-car-police-say/
https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/07/05/19-year-old-driver-convicted-causing-deadly-chase-with-solon-police-stolen-car/
https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/8/2024/2024-Ohio-845.pdf
https://obits.cleveland.com/us/obituaries/cleveland/name/sally-schultz-obituary?id=31842036
https://laurenkarch.github.io/mapping-police-pursuits/Documents/2021065921_Redacted.pdf

.
REASON FOR POLICE EMERGENCY RESPONSE:
Officer Christopher Bendana was responding to a reported theft in progress. Miami-Dade Police later determined Bendana was not authorized to activate his emergency lights and siren for that call.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 02/27/2021, 30-year-old Juan Carlos Martinez Silva was participating in his regular Saturday morning group bicycle ride near Black Point Park and Marina in South Miami-Dade. Martinez, an experienced cyclist and triathlete, was riding west on Southwest 248th Street with a group of approximately 20 cyclists when Miami-Dade Police Officer Christopher Bendana approached from the opposite direction in a patrol vehicle while responding to a reported theft in progress.
.
Bendana was driving approximately 50–58 mph in the 40-mph zone, according to Miami-Dade's subsequent disciplinary findings. At the later civil trial, Martinez's attorneys presented evidence contending Bendana's speed was closer to 70 mph. Bendana had activated his emergency lights and siren even though departmental policy did not authorize him to use the emergency signals for the call.
.
The cyclists saw the police SUV approaching at high speed and warned one another to slow and move right. Witnesses said Bendana maneuvered around a cyclist traveling on his side of the narrow two-lane road. As the group reacted to the approaching police vehicle, Martinez's front wheel touched the rear wheel of another bicycle and Martinez fell into the path of Bendana's cruiser.
.
Evidence presented at the civil trial showed Bendana saw Martinez fall and roll into his lane but did not slow before striking him. The family's attorneys reconstructed the collision and argued that Bendana could have avoided Martinez and, at the 40-mph speed limit, would have had sufficient distance to stop. They presented evidence that Bendana did not begin braking until approximately 50 feet after striking Martinez and that the police vehicle continued approximately 180 feet after impact.
.
Bendana also failed to activate his body camera when dispatched as required by department policy. He activated the recording only after the collision, eliminating body-camera video of his driving and the fatal impact.
.
Martinez was a native of Venezuela, an experienced cyclist and triathlete, an event producer and a former employee of Mack Cycle and Fitness. Friends described him as friendly, intelligent and excited about becoming a father. He left behind his wife, Jeishy Zerpa, and their nine-month-old daughter, Miranda.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Martinez's widow maintained that her husband's death was preventable and that Bendana would not have killed him had the officer followed departmental rules. Cyclists who witnessed the collision described the patrol vehicle approaching their group at high speed and said the group reacted by warning one another and attempting to move out of its path.
.
DISPOSITION:
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office reviewed the crash and on 03/15/2021 determined that no felony charges would be filed against Bendana. Miami-Dade Police's Professional Compliance Bureau subsequently determined Bendana violated department policy by activating emergency signals without authorization and by driving approximately 50–58 mph in the 40-mph zone. Bendana received a written reprimand. He remained with the department and was subsequently promoted to detective.
.
LITIGATION:
On 09/14/2021, Jeishy Zerpa, individually and as representative of Martinez's estate, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Miami-Dade County. At trial in February 2024, the jury found Miami-Dade County responsible and awarded Martinez's family $3 million. Florida's sovereign-immunity law initially limited recovery without legislative authorization.
.
Miami-Dade County appealed the judgment. On 09/10/2025, Florida's Third District Court of Appeal rejected the County's challenge and affirmed the $3 million final judgment.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Christopher Bendana remained employed by Miami-Dade Police after receiving a written reprimand for the policy violations associated with Martinez's death and was promoted to detective approximately one year later.

https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/family-of-man-struck-killed-by-mdpd-vehicle-awarded-3m/
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article249732338.html
https://www.thelegaladvocate.com/news/breaking/juan-carlos-martinez-dies-crash-miami-dade-police-southwest-87th-february-27th
https://publiclawlibrary.org/widow-of-bicyclist-killed-in-miami-dade-crash-speaks-out-after-multi-million-dollar-jury-verdict/
https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/third-district-court-of-appeal/2025/3d24-1472.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/ride-of-silence-honors-cyclists-killed-on-local-roads-raise-awareness-for-more-safety-measures/

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
A Harris County Precinct 8 patrol deputy alleged that the motorcyclist appeared to be racing another motorcycle in southeast Houston and attempted to stop him.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/24/2021, Harris County Precinct 8 deputies attempted to stop a motorcyclist after a patrol deputy alleged he appeared to be racing another motorcycle in southeast Houston. The rider continued driving away and police escalated a high-speed pursuit that crossed several Houston-area cities. Investigators said speeds exceeded 100 mph.
.
The pursuit continued through southeast Harris County toward the Highway 3 corridor. According to Precinct 8 Lt. Wayne Gerrish, the motorcyclist traveled onto Dixie Farm Road and then entered Galveston Road / Highway 3 against the direction of traffic.
.
At approximately 9:45 p.m., near the 10800 block of Galveston Road and East Sam Houston Parkway South, the motorcyclist struck a curb while traveling against traffic, lost control of the motorcycle and crashed. He died from his injuries.
.
The surviving public reporting establishes that police pursued the motorcycle through several municipalities at speeds exceeding 100 mph. A reliable total mileage or pursuit duration was not disclosed in the records located.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
.
DISPOSITION:
No final publicly documented criminal or disciplinary disposition involving the Precinct 8 deputies for their role in initiating and continuing the pursuit was located.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 8 did not publicly identify the deputy who initiated the traffic stop and pursuit or the other deputy/deputies who participated in the pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/deadly-motorcycle-chase-harris-county-galveston-road/285-80e7a60c-c0d9-4699-ae5d-0ff37d092999
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL1sJC6Lxmk
https://www.facebook.com/KHOU11/posts/10162014448184062/

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Rockwall Police attempted to stop a white Chrysler 300 because the license plate displayed on the vehicle had been reported stolen.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/23/2021, Rockwall Police officers attempted to stop a white Chrysler 300 on Interstate 30 after determining that the vehicle was displaying a stolen license plate. The driver continued driving away, and Rockwall police escalated a pursuit eastbound on I-30 toward Fate.
.
When the pursuit entered Fate, Fate Police Department officers took over the chase from Rockwall Police. The Chrysler subsequently entered the interstate median, went out of control and struck a concrete culvert. The driver was killed in the crash and a passenger was injured.
.
Fatal Encounters independently records the same fatal pursuit in Fate, Texas, involving Fate Police Department and describes Rockwall Police initiating the stop over the stolen license plate before Fate police continued the pursuit.
.
The surviving public reporting does not provide a reliable documented maximum speed, pursuit duration or mileage. I searched the exact crash date, vehicle description, stolen-plate reason, Fate/Rockwall location, court records, obituary material and later reporting but could not establish the driver’s identity with sufficient reliability to replace Name Not Disclosed.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 1 Injury.
.
DISPOSITION:
No publicly documented criminal charge or disciplinary disposition involving Rockwall or Fate police officers for their roles in initiating and continuing the pursuit was located.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Rockwall Police and Fate Police did not publicly identify the officer who initiated the traffic stop and pursuit or the other officer(s) who participated in the pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.heraldbanner.com/news/local_news/one-killed-one-hurt-in-chase-crash-along-interstate-30/article_f2bc41fc-4c6e-11ec-81e2-63afadd7a87f.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/investigations-continue-two-fatal-accidents-165300249.html
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person-csv/csv/?pagenum=63

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 5:30 a.m., Sanger Police responded to reports of possible vehicle burglaries in the 300 block of North 5th Street. Officers located a white Ford extended-cab pickup they believed was connected to the reported burglaries and attempted a traffic stop. The 14-year-old driver continued driving away and police escalated a pursuit.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/21/2021, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Sanger Police officers attempted to stop the pickup in the 300 block of North 5th Street. Police pursued the vehicle south through Sanger until, approximately one-half mile from the attempted stop, the 14-year-old driver lost control and crashed into a tree in the 700 block of South 5th Street.
.
Nelson, Brian Atian Hutson, 16, and Kevin Xzavier Angeles, 14, were killed. The 14-year-old driver and an 18-year-old passenger survived. All three teenagers who died were passengers.
.
Nelson was born on 02/02/2006 and lived in Argyle, Texas. Denton-area death records identify his full name as Nelson Steven Candelario Lopez Vargas and confirm that he died in Sanger on 11/21/2021.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
3 Fatalities, 2 Injuries.
.
DISPOSITION:
Sanger Police reported that charges were pending following the crash. The surviving driver was 14 years old.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Sanger Police did not publicly identify the officer who initiated or participated in the pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/3-killed-2-hurt-during-police-pursuit-sunday-morning-in-sanger-pd/2822322/
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/22/3-teenagers-killed-in-car-crash-while-trying-to-flee-traffic-stop-sanger-police-say/
https://www.crosstimbersgazette.com/2021/11/24/teens-from-argyle-northlake-die-in-sanger-crash/
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/927ec970/
https://www.dentonpl.com/public/sc/death_indexes/obituaryindex202029.pdf

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 5:30 a.m., Sanger Police responded to a report of possible vehicle burglaries in the 300 block of North Fifth Street near Interstate 35. Officers saw a white Ford extended-cab pickup they believed was connected to the reported burglaries and attempted a traffic stop.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/21/2021, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Sanger Police officers responding to reported vehicle burglaries located the white Ford pickup in the 300 block of North Fifth Street and attempted to stop it. The 14-year-old driver continued driving away and police escalated a pursuit south on Fifth Street.
.
The pursuit was exceptionally short geographically. Police reported that the pickup traveled approximately one-half mile before the driver lost control and crashed into a tree in the 700 block of South Fifth Street. Three of the five teenagers in the truck were killed. The surviving 14-year-old driver was critically injured, while an 18-year-old passenger was hospitalized with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
.
The three teenagers killed were Kevin Xzavier Angeles, 14, Nelson Steven Candelario Lopez Vargas, 15, and Brian Atian Hutson, 16. All three were passengers; the 14-year-old driver survived. Contemporary reporting does not provide a reliable maximum pursuit speed or elapsed pursuit time beyond establishing that the crash occurred approximately one-half mile after police attempted the stop.
.
Kevin was a ninth-grade student at Byron Nelson High School. Born in Pensacola, Florida, he had lived in Florida, Mexico, Dallas and Northlake, Texas. He enjoyed soccer, wrestling, music, video games, being outdoors and spending time with friends and family, and was looking forward to trying out for his school's soccer and wrestling teams. He left behind his parents, two brothers and a sister.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
3 Fatalities, 2 Injuries, one of whom was critical.
.
DISPOSITION:
Sanger Police initially reported that charges were pending following the crash. The surviving driver was 14 years old, limiting the amount of subsequent juvenile-court information available publicly.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Sanger Police did not publicly identify the officer who initiated or participated in the pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/3-killed-2-hurt-during-police-pursuit-sunday-morning-in-sanger-pd/2822322/
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/22/3-teenagers-killed-in-car-crash-while-trying-to-flee-traffic-stop-sanger-police-say/
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/3-dead-after-burglars-crash-fleeing-sanger-police/
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/3-killed-crash-eluding-sanger-texas-police-juveniles-surviving-driver-14/
https://www.crosstimbersgazette.com/2021/11/24/teens-from-argyle-northlake-die-in-sanger-crash/
https://www.slaymemorialfuneralhome.com/m/obituaries/kevin-angeles/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/kevin-angeles-obituary?id=31724956
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/927ec970/
https://www.univision.com/local/dallas-kuvn/se-salio-cuando-estabamos-dormidos-y-tuvo-el-accidente-abuela-de-menor-muerto-en-accidente-fatal-en-sanger-video

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 5:30 a.m., Sanger Police responded to reports of possible vehicle burglaries in the 300 block of North 5th Street. Officers located a white Ford extended-cab pickup they believed was connected to the reported burglaries and attempted a traffic stop. The 14-year-old driver continued driving away and police escalated a pursuit.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/21/2021, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Sanger Police officers attempted to stop the pickup in the 300 block of North 5th Street. Police pursued the vehicle south through Sanger until, approximately one-half mile from the attempted stop, the 14-year-old driver lost control and crashed into a tree in the 700 block of South 5th Street.
.
Five teenagers were inside the pickup. Brian Atian Hutson, 16, Kevin Xzavier Angeles, 14, and Nelson Steven Candelario Lopez Vargas, 15, were killed. The 14-year-old driver and an 18-year-old passenger survived.
.
Brian was born Brian Encinas Ortiz on 05/10/2005 in Tucson, Arizona, and became a Hutson in 2009. He was a high-school junior, a proud member of the Tohono O’Odham Nation, taught himself to play piano, made music on his phone and loved airplanes and sports. He left behind his parents and siblings.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
3 Fatalities, 2 Injuries.
.
DISPOSITION:
Sanger Police reported that charges were pending following the crash. The surviving driver was 14 years old.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Sanger Police did not publicly identify the officer who initiated or participated in the pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/3-killed-2-hurt-during-police-pursuit-sunday-morning-in-sanger-pd/2822322/
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/22/3-teenagers-killed-in-car-crash-while-trying-to-flee-traffic-stop-sanger-police-say/
https://www.crosstimbersgazette.com/2021/11/24/teens-from-argyle-northlake-die-in-sanger-crash/
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/keller-tx/brian-hutson-10456855
https://www.dallasnews.com/espanol/al-dia/dallas-fort-worth/2021/11/23/mueren-tres-adolescentes-de-14-15-y-16-anos-en-persecucion-policial-en-el-norte-de-texas/

REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 10:55 p.m., a Prince George’s County Police officer alleged that Smith was driving a silver Acura “in an erratic manner” in unincorporated Hyattsville and initiated a traffic stop. Smith initially stopped.

EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/21/2021, at approximately 10:55 p.m., a Prince George’s County Police officer stopped 28-year-old Isiah Smith in unincorporated Hyattsville after alleging that he was driving erratically. When the officer approached the Acura on foot, Smith drove away. The officer returned to the patrol vehicle, activated emergency lights and siren, and police escalated a pursuit toward Washington, D.C.

During the pursuit, the officer broadcast the Acura’s license plate information. Another officer checked the plate and reported that the tags did not belong to the Acura. A supervisor then ordered the officer to discontinue the pursuit under department policy. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit as Smith lost control of the Acura and crashed into a tree at Michigan Avenue and Bunker Hill Road NE in Washington’s North Michigan Park neighborhood.

The entire sequence from Smith driving away from the attempted traffic stop until the fatal crash lasted approximately 43 seconds. Prince George’s County officers reached the crash and attempted medical aid, but Smith died at the scene. He was the only person in the Acura. The available reporting does not establish a reliable pursuit speed or mileage.

The department’s Internal Affairs Division opened an investigation into the officer’s handling of the pursuit, and the officer was placed on administrative leave. Contemporary reporting noted that the publicly available version of PGPD’s general orders redacted its pursuit rules, leaving unclear precisely why the supervisor ordered the pursuit discontinued. D.C. Metropolitan Police investigated the crash itself.

TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.

DISPOSITION:
Prince George’s County Police Internal Affairs investigated the pursuing officer’s role in initiating and continuing the fatal pursuit. No subsequent public criminal charge against the officer was located.

OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Prince George’s County Police did not publicly identify the officer who initiated and participated in the pursuit.

LITIGATION:
None found.

https://pgpolice.blogspot.com/2021/11/pgpd-investigating-fatal-crash-driver.html
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/prince-georges-county/man-killed-in-crash-after-prince-georges-county-police-pursuit/2890582/
https://wtop.com/local/2021/11/police-man-fleeing-prince-georges-co-traffic-stop-killed-in-dc-crash/
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/prince-georges-county-pursuit-fatal-crash-in-dc/65-4d79bd40-bc6e-4997-9d1c-64a68f2f3be4
https://smnewsnet.com/archives/498673/prince-georges-county-police-investigating-fatal-crash-after-erratic-driver-flees-attempted-traffic-stop/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/11/22/man-dead-crash-prince-georges-police/

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Georgia State Patrol attempted to stop the Hyundai Sonata in the Ringgold/Catoosa County area. During the pursuit, police alleged that passenger Jake Hobbs fired multiple gunshots at the pursuing Georgia State Patrol trooper. Available reporting does not clearly establish the specific reason the trooper initially attempted to stop the vehicle before the gunfire occurred.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/20/2021, Georgia State Patrol pursued a Hyundai Sonata driven by 27-year-old Joseph Hunter Massengill from the Ringgold area of Catoosa County, Georgia, north across the state line into Hamilton County, Tennessee. During the multi-state pursuit, police alleged that passenger Jake Hobbs fired several shots at the pursuing Georgia State Patrol trooper.
.
The pursuit continued into Tennessee, where the Tennessee Highway Patrol also became involved. Reporting stated that shots were fired at both Georgia State Patrol and Tennessee Highway Patrol during the chase. Police continued pursuing the Sonata onto Highway 153 in Hixson.
.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., Massengill crashed the Sonata on Highway 153 near Boy Scout Road. Hamilton County EMS transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Hobbs survived the crash, left the vehicle and was subsequently captured after authorities searched the surrounding area.
.
The pursuit crossed from Catoosa County, Georgia, into Hamilton County, Tennessee, making it a substantial multi-jurisdictional chase, but the surviving public reporting located does not provide a sufficiently reliable maximum speed, exact pursuit mileage or duration to assign numerical figures.
.
Massengill was born in Kingsport, Tennessee, on 01/12/1994. He moved to Crossville as a child, graduated from high school in 2012 and later returned to Kingsport. His family described him as a gifted athlete who was particularly talented at fixing and creating things. He was the father of a daughter and had previously lost another daughter.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
.
DISPOSITION:
Passenger Jake Hobbs, 21, was arrested and faced multiple charges, including drug possession and discharging a weapon near an interstate in connection with the pursuit and alleged gunfire. Georgia State Patrol was identified as the lead agency in the pursuit and shooting investigation.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Authorities did not publicly identify the Georgia State Patrol trooper who initiated and continued the pursuit or the other officers who participated.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.timesfreepress.com/2021/nov/21/police-pursuit-ends-fatal-crash-highway-153/
https://foxchattanooga.com/news/local/large-police-presence-shuts-down-state-route-153-in-hixson
https://www.wdef.com/one-dead-after-multi-state-police-chase-saturday-night/
https://www.wdef.com/suspects-from-weekend-police-chase-identified/
https://www.chattanoogan.com/2021/11/21/438833/Chase-That-Started-In-Georgia-Ends-In.aspx
https://newschannel9.com/news/local/chattanooga-mother-and-daughter-witness-fatal-crash-on-highway-153-saturday-night
https://www.trinitymemorialcenters.com/obituaries/joseph-hunter-massengill
https://3bmedianews.com/joseph-joe-hunter-massengill/

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 4:45 p.m., a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy recognized a Jeep Cherokee and its driver as a person authorities had been seeking for approximately two weeks on an Oregon felony parole violation. The Jeep had approached the deputy’s patrol vehicle at high speed and nearly struck it before turning away. The deputy subsequently located the Jeep on neighborhood streets and attempted to stop it.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/16/2021, at approximately 4:45 p.m., a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy encountered the Jeep near Blue Rock and Lyle in Gardnerville Ranchos. After the driver realized the deputy had spotted him, he made a U-turn, traveled north on Robin and then west on Kimmerling. The deputy followed and police escalated a pursuit through the residential neighborhood.
.
During the pursuit, the deputy lost sight of the Jeep around the Kimmerling Way curve before locating it again along Robin. A witness saw the Jeep roll completely over and land back on its wheels. The deputy stopped, exited the patrol vehicle and drew his weapon, but the Jeep continued driving away and the deputy resumed the pursuit.
.
The Jeep reached Patricia Drive and attempted to turn south onto Tillman Lane, where it struck a vehicle driven by a 19-year-old woman. The Jeep rolled several times, ejecting 43-year-old passenger John David Schulze. Schulze was pronounced dead at the scene. The 19-year-old bystander driver was transported to Carson Valley Medical Center with injuries, while the Jeep’s driver was airlifted to Renown Medical Center in Reno.
.
Later court proceedings revealed that Schulze, a father of six, had gone along only for a quick trip to a 7-Eleven. During the pursuit, Schulze was on the telephone pleading with the driver to pull over and stop.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 2 Injuries.
.
DISPOSITION:
The driver, Blake Edward Thacker, pleaded guilty to attempting to elude causing death. On 03/21/2022, a Douglas County judge sentenced him to the maximum term of 8–20 years in prison for Schulze’s death. The officer was not charged for his role of initiating the fatal pursuit.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office did not publicly identify the deputy who initiated and participated in the pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.recordcourier.com/news/2021/nov/18/one-person-dead-gardnerville-ranchos-collision/
https://mynews4.com/news/local/one-dead-one-injured-in-gardnerville-runaway-parolee-police-chase
https://www.kolotv.com/2021/11/17/fatal-crash-gardnerville-following-chase-with-wanted-suspect/
https://www.carsonnow.org/11/16/2021/douglas-county-investigates-fatal-gardnerville-crash-nhp-and-carson-city-asked-assi
https://www.carsonnow.org/11/17/2021/douglas-sheriffs-office-releases-more-details-gardnerville-pursuit-identifies-victi
https://southtahoenow.com/11/17/2021/details-released-fatal-douglas-county-chase-and-crash
https://www.recordcourier.com/news/2022/feb/08/parolee-pursuit-admits-culpability-passengers-deat/
https://www.recordcourier.com/news/2022/mar/22/man-killed-fatal-pursuit-pleaded-parolee-pull-over/

.
REASON WHY POLICE VEHICLE WAS ON THE ROAD:
The New Jersey State Police did not publicly disclose what assignment Trooper Tennyson J. Whitted was performing, where he was traveling, or whether he was responding to an emergency when his marked patrol vehicle struck Miles.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/11/2021, at approximately 5:55 a.m., New Jersey State Police Trooper Tennyson J. Whitted was driving a marked State Police vehicle southbound on U.S. Route 1 near Raymond Road in South Brunswick when he struck 50-year-old pedestrian Donelle Miles. Miles was pronounced dead at the scene. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office assumed the investigation.
.
Authorities initially withheld both Miles's identity and Whitted's identity. Miles was publicly identified several days later, but the State Police continued withholding the trooper's name and details concerning what he was doing immediately before the collision. More than a year after Miles's death, his family told reporters they still had received virtually no explanation of how or why the crash occurred.
.
Miles was a Plainsboro resident and a 1990 graduate of Trenton Central High School. His family described the prolonged lack of information surrounding his death as deeply frustrating while they sought an explanation of the circumstances that led to him being struck by the State Police vehicle.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
.
DISPOSITION:
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office investigated the fatal collision. No criminal charge against Whitted for his role in the collision was located.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The trooper can now be identified as Tennyson J. Whitted. Public employment records show Whitted was already a New Jersey State Police trooper by 2015.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Miles's family publicly challenged the lack of transparency surrounding his death, saying that more than a year after the collision they still did not know what happened or why the State Police vehicle struck him.
.
LITIGATION:
On 11/10/2023, the Estate of Donelle Miles, administrator Darshelle Miles, and Miles's daughter Azalea Miles filed a civil lawsuit in Middlesex County Superior Court against the New Jersey State Police and Trooper Tennyson Whitted. The complaint identifies Whitted as the State Police employee who was driving the vehicle that struck and killed Miles. This later litigation finally made public the identity of the trooper authorities had withheld after the crash.

https://www.nj.com/middlesex/2023/03/we-know-nothing-nj-family-longs-for-answers-in-2021-police-crash-that-killed-loved-one.html
https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/edison/obituaries/donelle-miles-50-struck-killed-by-nj-state-trooper-on-route-1/820543/
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2021/11/17/route-1-south-brunswick-crash-nj-police-car/8650183002/
https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Home/Components/News/News/297/736
https://nj1015.com/prosecutor-ids-plainsboro-nj-man-hit-killed-by-state-police-vehicle-on-route-1/
https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/update-man-fatally-struck-nj-state-police-vehicle-identified-plainsboro-resident
https://trellis.law/doc/196585397/complaint-with-jury-demand-for-mid-l-006361-23-submitted-by-tucker-stuart-a-szaferman-lakind-blumstein-blader-pc-on-behalf-donelle-miles-darshelle-miles-azalea-miles-against-new-jersey-state-police-tennyson-whitted-john-jane-doe-1-200-abc-corporat

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Fort Worth Police were searching for a man accused of critically stabbing another man with a box cutter and stealing the victim’s pickup truck. Before police began the pursuit, the same man allegedly drove the stolen truck through the Taz game room on Camp Bowie West Boulevard, killing 45-year-old Jeffrey Allen Mazurowski.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/10/2021, Fort Worth Police officers were searching for a man accused of stabbing another man at approximately 11:45 a.m. in the 8600 block of Las Vegas Trail and stealing his pickup truck. At approximately 1:45 p.m., police located the stolen truck and began following it.
.
Before the police pursuit developed, the driver allegedly crashed the stolen truck through the Taz game room in the 8700 block of Camp Bowie West Boulevard and drove back and forth inside the building. Jeffrey Allen Mazurowski, 45, was pinned between the truck and a wall and later died at a hospital.
.
The driver left the game room and continued along Camp Bowie West Boulevard. At approximately 2:50 p.m., he drove onto the sidewalk in the 7600 block and struck 57-year-old Lailani Duroy Snell as she sat on a bus-stop bench. Surveillance video later showed that Snell had virtually no opportunity to escape the approaching truck. She was killed.
.
The driver subsequently abandoned the first stolen truck, took another vehicle and continued driving away while Fort Worth Police pursued him for several miles. Police eventually trapped the vehicle near Misty Mountain Drive and Deer Trail in south Fort Worth. SWAT officers surrounded the vehicle and deployed gas after a standoff, taking the driver into custody.
.
Snell and Mazurowski were both Fort Worth residents. Their identities were subsequently confirmed by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 Critical Injury.
.
DISPOSITION:
Chassity Lavelle Brooks, 38, was initially charged with capital murder. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of murder for the deaths of Snell and Mazurowski and, in April 2024, was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The officers were not criminally charged for their role in initiating the pursuit.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Fort Worth Police did not publicly identify the officer or officers who initiated and participated in the pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/swat-uses-gas-to-force-mans-surrender-after-stabbing-carjacking-police-chase/2811942/
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article255729801.html
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article255742156.html
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article255765796.html
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article256034042.html
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article287739460.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/2-dead-1-critical-stabbing-chase-fort-worth/
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2021/11/12/man-arrested-after-fort-worth-police-say-he-crashed-truck-into-game-room-and-bus-stop-killing-2/
https://www.fox4news.com/news/suspect-victims-identified-in-deadly-fort-worth-crime-spree
https://www.fox4news.com/news/fort-worth-pd-deadly-crash-suspect-stabbed-man-with-box-cutter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCnnnMA8EM

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 9:55 a.m., a citizen called 911 after spotting the citizen’s stolen construction trailer being pulled by a blue Ford F-250 near Highway 610 and Zane Avenue. Brooklyn Park Police located the truck and trailer in the Hy-Vee parking lot at 9409 Zane Avenue and attempted to stop the vehicle.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/09/2021, at approximately 9:55 a.m., Brooklyn Park Police officers attempted to stop the Ford F-250 in the Hy-Vee parking lot. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit because of the danger to people in the parking lot. The driver crossed grass, traveled down a ditch and crashed through a chain-link fence onto Highway 610. The construction trailer detached, but more than 200 feet of chain-link fence became entangled with the truck.
.
After the truck entered Highway 610 dragging more than 200 feet of fencing, Brooklyn Park Police reinitiated the pursuit, stating that the dragging fence posed a danger to the public. Police pursued the truck eastbound on Highway 610 and then southbound on Highway 252.
.
As the pursuit reached Highway 252 near 66th Avenue North in Brooklyn Center, the truck passed a vehicle driven by 75-year-old Judd Roger Anderson. The long section of chain-link fence being dragged behind the truck struck Anderson’s vehicle, causing him to lose control and crash into a traffic-light pole. Anderson suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and died at the scene. The fence broke free from the truck during the collision.
.
The truck continued driving after Anderson was killed and was subsequently captured by Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras traveling south on Highway 100 and exiting at France Avenue. Contemporary reporting described the fence as being dragged for miles, but the available records do not provide a reliable maximum pursuit speed or exact pursuit mileage.
.
Anderson was a Brooklyn Center resident who left behind his wife, Linda; three children, Paul, Kara and Jeffrey; and grandchildren Leif and Ingrid. Friends remembered him as someone who readily made others feel comfortable, and his son described losing his father as losing his best friend.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
.
DISPOSITION:
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Minnesota State Patrol investigated the fatal crash. The driver of the stolen truck initially escaped and authorities publicly sought information identifying both the driver and a man believed to have information about the truck.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Brooklyn Park Police did not publicly identify the officers who initiated, discontinued and then reinitiated the pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.startribune.com/brooklyn-center-man-killed-in-hwy-252-crash-is-identified/600115343/
https://ccxmedia.org/news/driver-killed-after-chain-link-fence-dragged-by-stolen-truck-hits-vehicle/
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/bca-looking-to-speak-with-man-who-may-have-information-on-fatal-brooklyn-center-crash
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/brooklyn-center-deadly-crash-judd-anderson/
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/law-enforcement-seeking-publics-help-in-locating-man-stolen-truck-involved-in-fatal-brooklyn-center-crash/
https://www.fox9.com/news/investigators-looking-to-question-unknown-man-in-deadly-brooklyn-center-crash
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/11/11/police-looking-for-masked-man-following-death-during-chase-of-stolen-truck
https://accidentdatacenter.com/us/minnesota/minneapolis-st-paul-mn/brooklyn-center/21/11/09/judd-roger-anderson-75-killed-crash-caused-fleeing-driver-stolen-truck-highway-252-brooklyn-center
 

On 11/07/2021, a driver was killed after a high speed police pursuit that began in Milwaukee and continued north into Glendale. Milwaukee police chased the vehicle before it crashed on Port Washington Road near Hampton Avenue. The driver died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. No identifying information for the driver was released, and police did not provide additional details about the reason for the pursuit.

https://www.fox6now.com/news/high-speed-chase-ends-crash-glendale
https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/high-speed-police-chase-ends-in-glendale-crash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQ_g9j3nNY

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Princeton Police were investigating attempted vehicle thefts in the Littlebrook neighborhood after residents reported teenagers attempting to steal vehicles, including a Ferrari, from a Clover Lane residence. Officer Luis Martinez encountered two stolen vehicles associated with the activity and attempted to stop a Range Rover. Damajia Horner was driving a separate stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee. Later civil litigation revealed that Princeton Mayor Mark Freda allegedly followed Horner’s Jeep with a blue emergency light activated despite not being a police officer.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/07/2021, at approximately 12:40 p.m., Princeton Police responded to the 100 block of Clover Lane for reported attempted vehicle thefts. Fifteen-year-old Damajia Jenay “Majia” Horner was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee that had previously been reported stolen in Pequannock Township. A 14-year-old boy was riding with her.
.
Officer Luis Martinez pursued the other stolen vehicle, a Range Rover. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit on Snowden Lane because of dangerous driving. Subsequent civil discovery, however, revealed a separate pursuit involving Horner’s Jeep: Princeton Mayor Mark Freda, president of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad and a volunteer firefighter, allegedly followed the Jeep while displaying a blue emergency light. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Freda’s red Ford Expedition following the Jeep by approximately six seconds.
.
Freda was not a police officer and the lawsuit alleges he had no authority to conduct a vehicle pursuit. Freda initially told investigators that he activated his blue light only after the crash, but later submitted a supplemental statement acknowledging that he had activated it earlier. Freda reported traveling approximately 55 mph while following the Jeep and seeing it begin to swerve before the collision.
.
At approximately 1:09 p.m., Horner’s Jeep traveled east on Princeton-Kingston Road, crossed the double-yellow line near Carnegie Drive and struck a westbound Acura RDX driven by 61-year-old Jodi Marcou head-on. Horner and Marcou were pronounced dead at the scene. Horner’s 14-year-old passenger suffered critical injuries and was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
.
Majia was born on 09/23/2006 and attended Newark KIPP Collegiate High School. Her mother, Jennifer Horner, described her as funny, smart, loving and protective of her family. Majia loved sneakers and hoped to become an entrepreneur. Her obituary describes her as a girl who could “light up the room with her smile” and identifies a large family of siblings whom she left behind.
.
The night before Majia died, she had been home in Newark watching movies with her family. Her mother said Majia was the “rock of the family” and emphasized that the crash should not define her daughter’s life. Nearly 400 people reportedly attended Majia’s memorial.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 Critical Injury.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Jennifer Horner publicly pushed back against portraying her daughter simply as a criminal, saying Majia had made a terrible decision but was a normal 15-year-old girl rather than a habitual car thief. Horner also expressed grief for Jodi Marcou’s death and acknowledged the devastating consequences of her daughter’s actions.
.
DISPOSITION:
No criminal charges against Officer Luis Martinez were located for his role in initiating the police pursuit. No criminal charges against Mayor Mark Freda were located for his alleged role in pursuing Horner’s Jeep. The Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad later disciplined Freda over the incident, voting 8–1 to suspend him for 30 days after his involvement became public through the litigation.
.
LITIGATION:
Majia’s family does not appear to have filed a wrongful-death action against Princeton, Freda, Martinez or the police, and I did not locate an attorney publicly representing Majia’s estate in a claim arising from her death. Instead, Majia and her mother Jennifer Horner became defendants in the wrongful-death litigation filed by Jodi Marcou’s estate. The Marcou lawsuit alleged that Jennifer failed to adequately supervise her daughter.
.
That litigation subsequently produced evidence that shifted part of the scrutiny toward Freda. Hanover Insurance filed a third-party complaint against Freda, the Municipality of Princeton and the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, alleging Freda’s actions contributed to the fatal crash. Marcou’s estate then amended its complaint after discovery revealed Freda had allegedly pursued Horner with his emergency light activated. The litigation remained active in 2026.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Luis Martinez had been appointed as a probationary Princeton police officer effective 07/12/2021 and therefore had been with the department for only about four months when this fatal pursuit occurred. Mayor Mark Freda was not a police officer, but his alleged pursuit became a significant issue in the subsequent litigation and resulted in a 30-day suspension from the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad.

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/09/princeton-news-broadfocus-mayor-mark-freda-car-crash-lawsuit-two-dead-sued
https://planetprinceton.com/2023/08/18/princeton-mayor-named-in-lawsuit-related-to-2021-car-theft-incident-and-fatal-crash-on-route-27/
https://planetprinceton.com/2021/11/08/prosecutors-office-releases-name-of-adult-victim-in-route-27-crash-in-princeton/
https://dailyvoice.com/article/she-wasnt-a-bad-kid-mom-of-15-year-old-killed-in-double-fatal-stolen-car-crash-speaks-out/
https://www.plintoncurry.com/obituaries/damajia-horner
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2024/10/princeton-news-broadfocus-mark-freda-mayor-unopposed-election-town
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/01/princeton-news-broadfocus-town-council-retains-law-firm-car-crash-lawsuit-reviews-police-department
https://nj1015.com/lawsuit-says-princeton-nj-mayor-joined-fatal-high-speed-chase-mark-freda-jodi-marcou/

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Princeton Police were investigating an attempted theft of a Ferrari from a Clover Lane residence when Officer Luis Martinez saw a stolen Range Rover and a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee connected to the vehicle-theft activity. Martinez followed the Range Rover and attempted to stop it. Litigation later alleged that Princeton Mayor Mark Freda separately pursued the Jeep that ultimately struck Jodi Marcou.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/07/2021, at approximately 12:40 p.m., Princeton Police responded to the 100 block of Clover Lane after residents reported that people were attempting to steal vehicles from a driveway. While Officer Luis Martinez was investigating, a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee and a recently stolen Range Rover drove through the neighborhood. Martinez followed the Range Rover and attempted a traffic stop when it accelerated away.
.
A brief police pursuit followed. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit at approximately 1:08 p.m. because the Range Rover was being driven dangerously. The official prosecutor’s investigation later documented that Martinez had been pursuing the Range Rover rather than the Jeep that ultimately crashed into Marcou.
.
The later civil litigation revealed a separate and previously undisclosed issue involving Princeton Mayor Mark Freda, who was president of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad and a volunteer firefighter. Surveillance footage showed the stolen Jeep traveling south on Snowden Lane and Freda’s red Ford Expedition following only about six seconds later. The lawsuit alleged Freda activated his blue emergency light and conducted an unauthorized high-speed pursuit of the Jeep despite having no police authority.
.
Freda initially told investigators that he activated his blue lights only after the crash. He later submitted a supplemental statement through his attorney acknowledging that he had activated the lights earlier. Freda told investigators he was traveling approximately 55 mph on Route 27 while following the Jeep and that several vehicles separated him from it. He said he watched the Jeep begin swerving before the collision.
.
At approximately 1:09 p.m., the Jeep crossed the double-yellow line on Princeton-Kingston Road near Carnegie Drive and struck Marcou’s westbound 2016 Acura RDX head-on. Marcou and the 15-year-old driver of the Jeep were pronounced dead at the scene. A 14-year-old passenger in the Jeep suffered critical injuries and was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
.
Jodi Marcou was a Rutgers University development specialist and fundraising coordinator who had lived in Kendall Park with her husband David for 24 years. She was the mother of two and had served for years as a member and vice-chair of the South Brunswick Human Relations Commission; a bench in Veterans Park was later dedicated in her memory.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 Critical Injury.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Marcou’s family later challenged the original public account after civil discovery revealed Freda’s involvement. Their amended lawsuit alleged that Freda’s pursuit and use of emergency lights contributed to the dangerous driving that immediately preceded the fatal collision and that his actions violated municipal, police department and Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad policies.
.
DISPOSITION:
No criminal charges against Officer Luis Martinez were located for his role in initiating the police pursuit. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office documented that Martinez discontinued his pursuit of the Range Rover because of safety concerns. No criminal charge against Mayor Mark Freda for his alleged role in pursuing the Jeep was located.
.
LITIGATION:
David Marcou filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of Jodi Marcou’s estate in June 2022. After discovery revealed Freda’s involvement, the estate amended the case in 2023 to add Freda, the Municipality of Princeton and the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad. The lawsuit alleges Freda had no authority to activate emergency lights or conduct a high-speed pursuit and that his actions contributed to the fatal crash. As of January 2026, the Marcou litigation remained pending, and Princeton retained additional outside legal counsel in connection with the case.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Luis Martinez had been appointed as a probationary Princeton police officer effective 07/12/2021, meaning he had been on the department for only about four months when this fatal pursuit occurred.

https://www.towntopics.com/2023/08/18/mayor-freda-cited-in-lawsuit-about-2021-fatal-crash/
https://planetprinceton.com/2023/08/18/princeton-mayor-named-in-lawsuit-related-to-2021-car-theft-incident-and-fatal-crash-on-route-27/
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/09/princeton-news-broadfocus-mayor-mark-freda-car-crash-lawsuit-two-dead-sued
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/01/princeton-news-broadfocus-town-council-retains-law-firm-car-crash-lawsuit-reviews-police-department
https://nj1015.com/lawsuit-says-princeton-nj-mayor-joined-fatal-high-speed-chase-mark-freda-jodi-marcou/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/princeton/princeton-mayor-joined-car-chase-resulted-fatal-crash-lawsuit
https://planetprinceton.com/2021/11/08/prosecutors-office-releases-name-of-adult-victim-in-route-27-crash-in-princeton/
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/princeton/sections/police-and-fire/articles/update-on-car-theft-turned-deadly-kendall-park-woman-killed
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/jodi-marcou-obituary?pid=200590186
https://patch.com/new-jersey/southbrunswick/bench-veterans-park-south-brunswick-dedicated-jodi-marcou

REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 8:00 p.m., Massachusetts State Police received a report of a Nissan Altima being driven dangerously northbound on Route 1 in Foxborough. A trooper working a highway detail near Gillette Stadium saw the Nissan pass at extremely high speed, nearly striking a highway worker, and initiated a pursuit.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/07/2021, at approximately 8:00 p.m., a Massachusetts State Police trooper pulled onto Route 1 with emergency lights and siren activated and pursued the Nissan northbound from Foxborough toward Sharon. Court records later established that the pursuit covered nearly three miles at approximately 100 mph as the Nissan traveled through regular traffic, used the breakdown lane and ran a red light.
.
Troop H headquarters ordered the trooper to discontinue the pursuit because police could not safely stop the vehicle. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit moments before the Nissan reached Route 1 and Old Post Road in Sharon.
.
Kevin Joseph Earley was stopped at the red light in his family’s Subaru Forester when the Nissan struck the rear driver’s side of his vehicle at high speed, propelling the Subaru through the intersection and off the roadway. The Nissan then struck a Dodge Durango, which was propelled into a Toyota Corolla. Earley was trapped in the Subaru and pronounced dead at the scene. People in the other vehicles survived with minor injuries.
.
Kevin was working a food-delivery shift when he was killed. He worked for DoorDash and Instacart while taking college classes and was an accomplished computer enthusiast who taught himself coding and helped build websites. He had also been involved in theater since childhood and volunteered extensively in Sharon.
.
Kevin was the youngest member of the Sharon Historical Society and regularly assisted with research, its website and community events. He also spent years volunteering alongside his father, retired Sharon firefighter Timothy Earley, during Fire Prevention Week and other fire-department events. His aunt remembered him as talented, witty, funny and devoted to his family, while his sister said he was always there for everyone.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, additional minor injuries.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Kevin’s mother described losing her 21-year-old son as a nightmare. His family described him as exceptionally caring and giving. Contemporary reporting established that Kevin was simply stopped at a red light when the pursued vehicle struck him.
.
DISPOSITION:
Nicholas Snyder was initially charged with motor vehicle homicide and other offenses. A Norfolk County grand jury subsequently indicted him for second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter-OUI and assault with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors alleged he was intoxicated and had continued driving at approximately 100 mph during the pursuit. He pleaded not guilty following the indictment. The Massachusetts State Police trooper was not criminally charged for the trooper’s role in initiating the pursuit.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Massachusetts State Police did not publicly identify the trooper who initiated the approximately three-mile, 100-mph pursuit. Because the trooper’s identity remains undisclosed, no reliable individual officer history can be attached to this case.
.
LITIGATION:
No wrongful-death lawsuit by Kevin Earley’s family against the Massachusetts State Police or pursuing trooper was located.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/man-indicted-on-murder-charge-after-deadly-sharon-crash/2689423/
https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/driver-2021-sharon-crash-indicted-murder-charge/ZWZFEOZBSJCWRPSFHQNNHHOG7E/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/08/metro/wrentham-man-indicted-2nd-degree-murder-charge-crash-that-killed-sharon-man/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/08/metro/sharon-man-killed-route-1-when-his-car-is-rear-ended-by-driver-fleeing-police-officials-say/
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/sharon-deadly-crash-nicholas-snyder-kevin-earley/
https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/police-21-year-old-killed-by-dangerous-erratic-driver-route-1-sharon/MGAG3DE65NH5FEP3ZWM7EIYRAE/
https://whdh.com/news/a-nightmare-heartbroken-family-mourning-death-of-sharon-man-killed-in-crash-with-driver-accused-of-speeding-away-from-police/
https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2021/11/08/man-killed-fatal-sharon-vehicle-crash/
https://www.delaneyfuneral.com/obituaries/kevin-earley-1
https://patch.com/massachusetts/sharon/grand-jury-issues-murder-indictment-driver-deadly-sharon-crash

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Newport News Police attempted to stop the Chevrolet Cobalt after an incident at a convenience store where police alleged driver Brian Michael Price assaulted a cashier and appeared intoxicated. Police were investigating suspected aggravated assault, abduction and impaired driving. Price continued driving away onto Interstate 664, where Virginia State Police joined the pursuit and Trooper Paul Perry became the primary pursuing officer.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/06/2021, shortly before 5 p.m., Newport News Police attempted to stop the Chevrolet Cobalt in which 47-year-old Amity Jo Grey was a passenger. Price continued driving away and police escalated a pursuit onto Interstate 664 toward Suffolk. Virginia State Police took over the pursuit, with Trooper Paul Perry becoming the primary pursuing officer. State Police reported that the Chevrolet did not exceed the posted speed limit during the interstate pursuit.
.
The later prosecutor's investigation established that police terminated and then re-engaged the pursuit because of traffic-safety concerns. During the pursuit, Grey opened the passenger door and appeared to attempt to get out of the moving Chevrolet. At another point, an officer drove alongside the vehicle and Grey communicated with the officer about children being kidnapped. The prosecutor subsequently concluded that Price appeared to be keeping Grey in the vehicle against her will.
.
Perry attempted to block the Chevrolet during the pursuit. According to the prosecutor's reconstruction, Price struck Perry's State Police vehicle several times. Near the Route 58 exit, Perry's patrol vehicle and the Chevrolet made contact, sending both vehicles off the roadway in opposite directions. The Chevrolet traveled down an embankment and overturned among trees. Grey was killed in the crash.
.
Price survived the rollover and left the wreck on foot. Perry located him minutes later near the Route 58 underpass and pursued him on foot. Perry subsequently shot and killed Price during an encounter that prosecutors later ruled self-defense.
.
Grey, known to her family as “Ami,” was from Newport News and was in a relationship with Price. Her family said the couple were in love and planning to marry. Her former stepmother, Lynn Teravainen, subsequently became a public spokesperson for Grey's family as they sought answers about the circumstances that culminated in her death.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 Officer Injury.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Grey's family publicly challenged the lack of information surrounding the pursuit and said they had “more questions than answers.” Teravainen said the family wanted to know what triggered the chase, whether Grey herself had sought police assistance, and what happened inside the Chevrolet before the fatal crash.
.
DISPOSITION:
The Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney reviewed Trooper Paul Perry's shooting of Price and ruled it justified self-defense. Perry was not criminally charged for shooting Price or for his role in the pursuit and vehicle contact that preceded the rollover in which Grey was killed.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Virginia State Police initially withheld the pursuing trooper's identity. The subsequent prosecutor's investigation identified him as Trooper Paul Perry. Perry became the primary pursuing trooper, attempted to block the Chevrolet during the pursuit, was involved in the vehicle contact preceding Grey's fatal rollover, pursued Price on foot after the crash and fired the three shots that killed him. Perry was not wearing a body camera during the fatal encounter with Price.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/brian-michael-price-man-fatally-shot-by-trooper-had-mental-illness-history
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/brian-price-shooting-death-trooper-paul-perry-august-26-2022
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/Brian-Price-and-Amity-Jo-Grey-obit
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/5ff46980/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/chesapeake-grey-richmond-newport-news-georgia-b1956833.html

Officers pursued a Lexus carrying four men until it struck another vehicle that was attempting to make a left turn. The woman driving that vehicle, Amy Whitelock (43), and all four men in the Lexus were injured. Both Whitelock and Tyrese Grace were killed in the crash.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2021/11/05/2-killed-3-injured-as-car-flees-from-florida-traffic-stop/

Officers pursued a Lexus carrying four men until it struck another vehicle attempting to make a left turn. The driver of that vehicle, Amy Whitelock, and all four men in the Lexus were injured. Both Whitelock and Tyrese Grace were killed in the crash.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2021/11/05/2-killed-3-injured-as-car-flees-from-florida-traffic-stop/

.
REASON FOR CHASE:
Georgia State Patrol attempted to stop the Toyota Camry after a trooper alleged the vehicle was traveling more than 100 mph as it exited Interstate 20 East onto Interstate 75 South.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 11/04/2021, 25-year-old Ja’Marrius A. Rucker of Atlanta was killed while riding as a passenger in a Toyota Camry that crashed during a Georgia State Patrol pursuit in northwest Atlanta. Eighteen-year-old passenger Nadiyah S. McCants was also killed. The driver, 18-year-old La’Montez D. Winkfield, and another passenger, 19-year-old Tyreke M. Brookings, survived and were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
.
At approximately 1:30 a.m., a Georgia State Patrol trooper encountered the Camry as it exited I-20 East onto I-75 South. GSP spokesperson Franka Young said the trooper clocked the car traveling more than 100 mph and attempted a traffic stop. Winkfield continued driving away and the trooper pursued the Camry through multiple Atlanta streets and along I-75.
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The trooper eventually lost sight of the Camry on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard. Investigators said Winkfield subsequently attempted to turn left from Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard onto Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard, lost control of the car and crashed into a concrete barrier and light pole. Rucker and McCants were killed.
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Georgia State Patrol reported that none of the four occupants was wearing a seat belt. Police also reported recovering firearms and illegal narcotics from the crash scene.
.
The surviving public reporting documents a speed of more than 100 mph before the pursuit began but does not provide a reliable total pursuit mileage or duration.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 2 Injuries.
.
DISPOSITION:
No publicly documented criminal charge or disciplinary disposition involving the Georgia State Patrol trooper for initiating or continuing the pursuit was located. GSP reported after the crash that charges against the surviving occupants were pending.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Georgia State Patrol did not publicly identify the trooper who initiated and participated in the pursuit.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/police-chase-ends-with-deadly-crash-joseph-lowery-boulevard
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/crash-leaves-2-dead-near-joseph-e-lowery-blvd/85-d10ff36b-4720-4eae-9938-8f0de8420200

.
REASON FOR CHASE:
Georgia State Patrol attempted to stop the Toyota Camry after a trooper alleged the vehicle was traveling more than 100 mph as it exited Interstate 20 East onto Interstate 75 South.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 11/04/2021, 18-year-old Nadiyah S. McCants of Atlanta was killed while riding as a passenger in a Toyota Camry that crashed during a Georgia State Patrol pursuit in northwest Atlanta. Twenty-five-year-old passenger Ja’Marrius A. Rucker was also killed. The driver, 18-year-old La’Montez D. Winkfield, and another passenger, 19-year-old Tyreke M. Brookings, survived and were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
.
At approximately 1:30 a.m., a Georgia State Patrol trooper encountered the Camry as it exited I-20 East onto I-75 South. GSP spokesperson Franka Young said the trooper clocked the car traveling more than 100 mph and attempted a traffic stop. Winkfield continued driving away and the trooper pursued the Camry through multiple Atlanta streets and along I-75.
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The trooper eventually lost sight of the Camry on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard. Investigators said Winkfield subsequently attempted to turn left from Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard onto Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard, lost control of the car and crashed into a concrete barrier and light pole. McCants and Rucker were killed.
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Georgia State Patrol reported that none of the four occupants was wearing a seat belt. Police also reported recovering firearms and illegal narcotics from the crash scene.
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McCants' fuller name appears in later family obituary material as Nadiyah SaQuoia Keana McCants. A 2026 obituary for her grandfather, Adolphus Walker Jr., lists his granddaughter Nadiyah SaQuoia Keana McCants among relatives who died before him.
.
The surviving public reporting documents a speed of more than 100 mph before the pursuit began but does not provide a reliable total pursuit mileage or duration.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 2 Injuries.
.
DISPOSITION:
No publicly documented criminal charge or disciplinary disposition involving the Georgia State Patrol trooper for initiating or continuing the pursuit was located.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/police-chase-ends-with-deadly-crash-joseph-lowery-boulevard
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/crash-leaves-2-dead-near-joseph-e-lowery-blvd/85-d10ff36b-4720-4eae-9938-8f0de8420200

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 12:52 p.m., LaPorte County Sheriff’s officers identified a 2020 Infiniti QX60 as a stolen vehicle on Interstate 94 near mile marker 32–34 and attempted to stop it. The driver continued driving away and deputies escalated a high-speed pursuit.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/03/2021, at approximately 12:52 p.m., LaPorte County Sheriff’s officers began pursuing the Infiniti on I-94. The vehicle was initially traveling eastbound, exited at U.S. Highway 421, then re-entered I-94 traveling westbound. Police described the Infiniti as traveling at a high rate of speed.
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Police deployed stop sticks during the pursuit, but the Infiniti avoided them and the pursuit continued west through LaPorte and Porter counties toward Lake County. The available reporting does not provide a reliable numerical maximum speed.
.
As the pursuit continued into Lake County, the Infiniti collided with a Porter County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle. The impact caused Bolden to lose control, strike the concrete median barrier and roll the Infiniti several times. The vehicle crossed the median and finally came to rest on the opposite side. Bolden and the front-seat passenger were both ejected.
.
John Kennedy Fitzgerald Bolden, 23, of South Holland, Illinois, was pronounced dead at the scene. The front-seat passenger suffered serious injuries. Two rear-seat passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and the Porter County sheriff’s officer involved in the collision was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 4 Injuries, one of whom was seriously injured.
.
DISPOSITION:
Indiana State Police investigated both the fatal crash and the police pursuit. The surviving passengers were taken into custody on outstanding warrants. The officers were not criminally charged for their roles in initiating and continuing the pursuit.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s officers who initiated the pursuit and the Porter County sheriff’s officer whose patrol vehicle collided with the Infiniti were not publicly identified in the sources located.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.wndu.com/2021/11/04/driver-fleeing-police-killed-crash/
https://www.abc57.com/news/rollover-crash-in-laporte-county
https://hometownnewsnow.com/local-news/602555
https://www.chestertonin.org/DocumentCenter/View/4822/ISP-investigating-fatal-rollover-of-suspect-vehicle-at-end-of-high-speed-pursuit-on-I94

On 11/03/2021, Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers stopped a 2021 Chrysler van at milepost 80 on Interstate 80 near Green River for a traffic infraction. A second trooper arrived as backup. After speaking with the troopers for a period of time, the driver returned to the Chrysler despite troopers attempting to prevent him from leaving. Police then escalated a pursuit eastbound toward Rock Springs.
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The pursuit reached speeds exceeding 120 mph. From the original stop at milepost 80 to the eventual crash at Exit 99, the sequence extended approximately 19 miles along I-80.
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At approximately milepost 97, law enforcement deployed spike strips. Wyoming Highway Patrol's account said the deployment was successful and deflated the Chrysler's tires, although contemporaneous reporting noted some uncertainty about whether the vehicle actually struck the strips. Either way, police continued the pursuit for approximately another two miles.
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After taking Exit 99, the Chrysler struck the rear of a belly-dump combination commercial truck at high speed. The Chrysler's driver suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The commercial-truck driver was not injured.
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After the fatal crash, troopers reported finding approximately 83 pounds of suspected marijuana inside the Chrysler. Importantly, that discovery occurred after the pursuit and was not the stated justification for the original traffic stop. The Highway Patrol described the initiating reason only as a traffic infraction.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
.
DISPOSITION:
No criminal charges against the Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers were located for their roles in initiating and continuing the approximately 19-mile pursuit at speeds exceeding 120 mph.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Wyoming Highway Patrol did not publicly identify either the trooper who conducted the original traffic stop or the backup trooper who joined the stop and subsequent pursuit.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://trib.com/news/state-regional/crime-and-courts/driver-dies-in-collision-during-high-speed-pursuit-with-wyoming-highway-patrol/article_1323a5b0-e02d-579c-a4a2-3f5084299465.html
https://k2radio.com/car-chase-with-wyoming-highway-patrol-leads-to-fatal-crash/
https://jacksonholepress.com/man-leads-troopers-on-high-speed-chase-crashes-dies/

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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/01/2021, shortly before 3:00 a.m., off-duty Newark Police Officer Louis A. Santiago was driving a 2005 Honda Accord northbound on the Garden State Parkway near Exit 151 in Bloomfield. Santiago had been drinking at a bar after completing his Halloween day shift and was later determined to have been driving while intoxicated. His cousin, Albert Guzman, was riding with him. Prosecutors said Santiago failed to maintain his lane, drove onto the right shoulder and struck 29-year-old Damian Z. Dymka, who was walking along the shoulder.
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Dymka had spent Halloween night with friends at Club Feathers in River Edge. He left the club at approximately 1:00 a.m. in an Uber with a friend after accidentally leaving his cellphone behind. He subsequently ended up at a friend's home in Bloomfield; exactly how he came to be walking on the Garden State Parkway shortly before 3:00 a.m. was never established publicly.
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Instead of immediately calling 911 or rendering aid, prosecutors said Santiago and Guzman left Dymka on the roadway and drove away, then returned to the scene multiple times. Santiago eventually placed Dymka in the Honda and removed him from the crash scene. He and Guzman drove to the Santiago family home in Bloomfield, where Santiago's parents were located.
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The subsequent grand-jury investigation produced substantially more evidence of what occurred after Dymka was struck. Prosecutors alleged Santiago deleted data from his phone, tampered with the crash scene, failed to summon emergency medical assistance and made false statements to investigators. His father, Newark Police Lt. Luis Santiago, was accused of providing false information to police and failing to properly summon emergency aid.
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After a significant delay, Lt. Santiago called 911. Officer Santiago returned to the crash scene with Dymka in the car shortly before New Jersey State Police arrived. Dymka was ultimately found in the back seat. He had suffered fatal blunt-force injuries.
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Dymka was a registered nurse and nursing supervisor at Preakness Healthcare Center in Wayne who cared for elderly and infirm patients, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his boyfriend, Rosemberg Ochoa, were preparing to pursue bachelor of science degrees so they could become travel nurses and explore the country together. Dymka was scheduled to begin his online classes on November 1—the day he was killed. Friends also remembered him as an artist, an enthusiastic cat dad and a funny, energetic person who readily cared for others.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Dymka's friends questioned whether he might have survived had Santiago immediately called 911 and rendered aid rather than removing him from the scene. His boyfriend described Dymka as someone who would put himself in danger to help a person he loved. At Santiago's sentencing, Dymka's father, Andrzej Dymka, asked the court for accountability but also told Santiago that he forgave him and hoped he would change his life.
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DISPOSITION:
Louis A. Santiago pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, second-degree disturbing human remains, official misconduct and driving while intoxicated. On 08/02/2023, Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler sentenced him to five years in state prison without parole, followed by three years of post-release parole supervision. The five-year sentences imposed for vehicular homicide and disturbing human remains run concurrently. Santiago was no longer a Newark police officer by sentencing.
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Santiago’s father, Newark Police Lt. Luis Santiago, also became a criminal defendant because of his actions following Dymka’s death. Prosecutors said the lieutenant learned that his son might have struck someone but failed to contact 911 for approximately 40 minutes. He went to the crash location and ultimately called 911 only after arriving there and discovering that his son was not present. When New Jersey State Police arrived after the younger Santiago returned with Dymka in the back seat of the Honda, Lt. Santiago made misleading statements to the responding trooper.
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A grand jury indicted Lt. Santiago for hindering prosecution by providing false information to police and official misconduct for failing to properly summon emergency aid for an injured person. He ultimately pleaded guilty to obstructing the administration of law. On 08/02/2023, the same day his son was sent to prison, Lt. Santiago was sentenced to two years of probation. He had left the Newark Police Department by the time of sentencing.
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At sentencing, Lt. Santiago acknowledged that he should have immediately contacted Bloomfield Police, detained his son and nephew and called the proper authorities. His son’s cousin and passenger, Albert Guzman, entered the Pre-Trial Intervention diversionary program conditioned on a plea related to conspiracy to hinder prosecution.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Louis A. Santiago was an off-duty Newark police officer when, while intoxicated, he drove onto the Garden State Parkway shoulder and fatally struck Damian Dymka. Rather than immediately summon emergency medical assistance, prosecutors established that Santiago left the scene, returned multiple times, removed Dymka from the crash location, transported him in his car, deleted phone data, tampered with the crash scene and made false statements to investigators. He ultimately pleaded guilty to crimes including vehicular homicide and official misconduct and was sentenced to five years in prison without parole.
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His father, Lt. Luis Santiago, was a supervisory Newark police officer who became directly involved in the aftermath. He was indicted for hindering prosecution and official misconduct after prosecutors alleged that he failed to properly summon emergency assistance and provided false information to police. He ultimately pleaded guilty to obstructing the administration of law, received two years of probation and left the Newark Police Department.
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LITIGATION:
The criminal prosecution resulted in Santiago's guilty plea and five-year prison sentence. No separate wrongful-death judgment against Santiago or the City of Newark was located.

https://njecpo.org/two-newark-police-officers-indicted-in-death-of-pedestrian/
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/former-newark-police-officer-luis-santiago-sentenced-to-5-years-for-dwi-death/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cop-fatally-struck-nurse-actions-120208631.html
https://abc7ny.com/officer-arrested-pedestrian-killed-louis-santiago-damian-dymka/11270867/
https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/two-newark-police-officers-indicted-vehicle-homicide-desecrating-human-remains
https://www.rlsmedia.com/node/53234
https://www.rlsmedia.com/node/53245
https://www.theobserver.com/2021/11/24/newark-cop-son-of-a-lt-charged-with-reckless-vehicular-homicide-ecpo/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/ex-nj-cop-sentenced-killing-nurse-while-drunk-driving-prosecutor
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/damian-dymka--justice

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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/03/2021, at approximately 3:55 p.m., off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ricardo Castro drove his pickup truck eastbound on Firestone Boulevard in South Gate at an extraordinarily high speed. Investigators determined Castro was approaching 95 mph as he entered the intersection at San Juan Avenue. The normal speed limit was 35 mph and was reduced to 25 mph when schoolchildren were present.
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Twelve-year-old Isaiah Suarez Rodriguez was riding in a car driven by his 19-year-old sister, Alexa, who was waiting to make a left turn at the intersection. Castro’s pickup struck their car with tremendous force. Isaiah suffered fatal injuries and died at a Long Beach hospital. Alexa suffered broken bones and other serious injuries. Castro and his passenger were also injured.
.
Isaiah had gone out with his sister that afternoon for an extraordinarily ordinary reason: he wanted to buy a ruler for a classmate whose ruler had been taken away while the child was being bullied. Three days before his death, Isaiah had decided that he wanted to be baptized. He loved superhero movies, playing Animal Crossing and swimming with his family, and dreamed of becoming a chef.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 3 Injuries, including serious injuries to Isaiah’s sister.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Isaiah’s mother, Betsabe Suarez, said her family was completely broken by his death and publicly expressed relief when Castro was finally charged more than a year later because she feared her son’s death would be brushed aside. She described how much she missed Isaiah and emphasized that her son had an entire future ahead of him when he was killed.
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DISPOSITION:
Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Castro in February 2023 with second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving causing great bodily injury. Prosecutors argued that Castro’s history of crashes and traffic violations, his law-enforcement driving training and his personal experience with a fatal collision demonstrated that he understood the lethal danger of extreme-speed driving.
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On 09/05/2024, Castro pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. On 09/25/2024, he was sentenced to six years in state prison. As part of the resolution, Castro surrendered his California Peace Officer Standards and Training certification, effectively ending his law-enforcement career.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Ricardo Castro had a significant driving history before killing Isaiah. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón disclosed that Castro had previously been involved in multiple traffic collisions and had received several traffic citations, including speeding tickets. Prosecutors considered that history important in bringing the original murder charge because it demonstrated Castro’s prior knowledge of the dangers created by reckless driving.
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Most significantly, only about three months before killing Isaiah, Castro had himself been a passenger in a separate fatal traffic collision. Prosecutors specifically cited that experience, along with his previous crashes, speeding citations and extensive law-enforcement driver training, as evidence that Castro knew the potentially deadly consequences of excessive speed when he drove approximately 95 mph through South Gate.
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The Sheriff’s Department administratively removed Castro from field duties following Isaiah’s death but continued paying him while the criminal investigation remained pending. After prosecutors filed felony charges in February 2023, LASD relieved Castro of duty without pay. His subsequent surrender of his peace-officer certification ended his ability to continue working as a California law-enforcement officer.
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LITIGATION:
Isaiah’s mother pursued legal accountability following her son’s death. The criminal case ultimately resulted in Castro’s felony vehicular-manslaughter conviction and six-year prison sentence.

https://people.com/crime/la-sheriffs-deputy-charged-murder-crash-killed-12-year-old-boy/
https://lacounty.gov/2023/02/15/sheriffs-deputy-charged-with-murder-of-12-year-old-boy-in-off-duty-crash-in-south-gate/
https://da.lacounty.gov/about/inside-LADA/Sheriffs-Deputy-Charged-With-Murder-of-12-Year-Old-Boy-in-Off-Duty-Crash-in-South-Gate
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/deputy-arrested-in-south-gate-crash-that-killed-12-year-old-boy/
https://abc7.com/post/south-gate-deadly-crash-isaiah-rodriguez-deputy-arrested/12819592/
https://abc7.com/south-gate-deputy-lasd-sheriff/12865848/
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-15/los-angeles-sheriffs-deputy-charged-murder-crash-south-gate
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-09-06/deputy-pleads-to-vehicular-manslaughter-in-killing-of-12-year-old-boy
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/former-la-county-sheriffs-deputy-sentenced-to-6-years-in-crash-that-killed-12-year-old-ricardo-castro-isaiah-suarez-rodriguez/
https://www.foxla.com/news/lasd-ricardo-castro-sentenced-for-fatal-crash
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article272525446.html

.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 10/29/2021, at approximately 1:25 a.m., off-duty Massachusetts State Police Trooper Kristopher Carr was driving a 2020 Ford Explorer southbound on Interstate 93 near Freeport Street in Dorchester after a night of drinking with his girlfriend. Witness statements and surveillance video from several establishments later established that Carr had consumed numerous alcoholic drinks. His girlfriend told investigators he drank one cocktail at Pier 6 in Charlestown, two or three drinks at a South Boston restaurant and three additional drinks at another establishment.
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While driving in the far-left lane, Carr leaned toward his girlfriend to kiss her, swerved and struck the median barrier. The impact deployed the Explorer's airbags and left the disabled SUV positioned across the two leftmost travel lanes of I-93. Carr and his girlfriend got out of the vehicle.
.
Christopher Zike was riding his motorcycle to his 2:00 a.m. shift at IKEA in Stoughton when he encountered Carr's disabled SUV blocking the interstate. Zike struck the Explorer and was thrown from his motorcycle. Emergency personnel transported him to Boston Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. Carr and his girlfriend suffered minor injuries.
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Christopher had previously worked for the Museum of Science and Boston Children's Museum and had studied archaeology, including traveling to excavations in Peru. He was deeply involved in his adopted community of Winthrop and was a founding member and treasurer of Winthrop Loves Trees. He personally helped establish a garden at the Winthrop Senior Center and advocated for trees, parks and public green space.
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Christopher's brother said he was especially close to his niece, who knew him as the “fun uncle.” His partner, Philip Deal, described him as one of the most decent people he had ever known. Friends remembered Christopher as funny, hardworking and unusually committed to quietly improving his community without seeking recognition.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 2 Minor Injuries.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Christopher's brother described him at Carr's eventual sentencing as a good and fun person who was deeply invested in Winthrop. Friends emphasized the bitter circumstances of his death: Christopher was simply traveling to an overnight work shift when he encountered an interstate obstruction created by an intoxicated off-duty trooper.
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DISPOSITION:
Massachusetts State Police arrested Carr on the day of the crash and immediately relieved him of duty. Carr had graduated from the Massachusetts State Police Academy only approximately one week earlier and was still a probationary trooper assigned to the Westfield Barracks. State Police subsequently fired him.
.
A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Carr for motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of alcohol. On 07/16/2025, Carr pleaded guilty to motor vehicle homicide. Judge Mary Ames sentenced him to 2½ years in the House of Correction, with 18 months to serve and the remaining 12 months suspended for three years. His driver's license was suspended for 15 years, and he was ordered to undergo substance-abuse evaluation and any recommended treatment.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Kristopher Carr's law-enforcement history makes this case particularly significant. Before joining Massachusetts State Police, Carr had been a Springfield Police Department officer. In 2018, while serving with Springfield Police, Carr was one of the officers involved in the detention of Sterling Lester Chest during a mental-health emergency. Federal court records establish that Carr arrived while other officers were struggling to place the handcuffed Chest into a police cruiser; Carr kneed Chest and pushed him into the cruiser. Chest subsequently died, and his estate later named Carr and three other Springfield officers as defendants in a federal civil-rights lawsuit. That litigation was still producing federal court rulings in 2026.
.
Carr subsequently joined Massachusetts State Police and graduated from its academy approximately one week before killing Christopher Zike. On the night of the fatal crash, prosecutors established that Carr consumed numerous alcoholic drinks before driving and then crashed while attempting to kiss his girlfriend. Detectives who encountered Carr at Massachusetts General Hospital reported that his eyes were glassy and his speech was impaired. State Police fired him following the crash.
.
The consequences for Carr's law-enforcement career continued years after his criminal case. Following his 2025 conviction, Massachusetts POST proceedings found that State Police had terminated him for disciplinary reasons involving conduct unbecoming a trooper and failure to conform to laws. In April 2026, the commission revoked his law-enforcement certification for life.
.
LITIGATION:
Christopher Zike's death resulted in Carr's criminal prosecution, conviction and incarceration. Separately, Carr remains a named defendant in federal civil-rights litigation arising from his earlier Springfield Police encounter with Sterling Lester Chest.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/ex-state-trooper-indicted-in-oui-crash-that-killed-motorcyclist/41527075
https://www.wcvb.com/article/off-duty-massachusetts-state-police-trooper-facing-charges-in-fatal-crash-sources-tell-5-investigates/38103493
https://www.suffolkdistrictattorney.com/press-releases/items/2022/8/18/former-trooper-indicted-in-crash-that-killed-motorcyclist
https://www.suffolkdistrictattorney.com/press-releases/items/2025/7/16/monson-man-pleads-guilty-in-2021-motor-vehicle-homicide
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2025/07/16/former-state-trooper-pleads-guilty-to-2021-motor-vehicle-homicide-in-boston/
https://whdh.com/news/mass-state-trooper-arraigned-on-oui-homicide-charges-in-crash-that-left-motorcyclist-dead/
https://whdh.com/news/huge-loss-winthrop-man-killed-in-crash-involving-off-duty-trooper-was-dedicated-to-bettering-community-friends-say/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/29/metro/off-duty-mass-state-police-trooper-arrested-connection-with-fatal-crash/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/17/metro/former-state-trooper-pleads-guilty-fatal-2021-crash/
https://www.treewinthrop.org/
https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/massachusetts/madce/3%3A2023cv30034/255095/83/

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 10:25 p.m., police received a 911 call reporting an erratic driver traveling north on State Route 52 in the Town of Newburgh. Witness Lynn Conklin reported seeing the Jeep traveling below the speed limit, repeatedly crossing from its lane toward the opposite side of the roadway and nearly striking at least five vehicles. Walden Police located the Jeep on Main Street and conducted a traffic stop; Town of Montgomery Police arrived to assist.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 10/29/2021, at approximately 10:25 p.m., Walden Police stopped a 2018 Jeep Wrangler driven by 52-year-old Joann B. Schields after the 911 report of erratic driving. As Walden and Montgomery officers approached the stopped Jeep, Schields drove away westbound on Route 52 and police escalated a pursuit.
.
The pursuit continued only a short distance before the Jeep crossed the centerline and struck an eastbound 2013 Toyota RAV4 head-on near Old Town Road. Thirty-five-year-old Elizabeth Bello was driving the Toyota with two of her children, ages 16 and 6, riding with her. Bello was pronounced dead at the scene. Both children were transported to Garnet Health Medical Center with injuries; later reporting described them as suffering broken bones and said they were expected to survive. Schields was transported to a hospital and also died.
.
Bello had celebrated her 35th birthday only eight days before she was killed. She was a mother of three and a well-known KeyBank manager who had worked at several branches in Orange County. Friends and coworkers described her as particularly committed to helping other people succeed professionally and personally. She was proud of her Mexican heritage and was remembered as an uplifting and encouraging presence in the lives of her family, coworkers and friends.
.
Her husband, Jose Martinez, described Elizabeth as a loving and protective mother whose three children were her central motivation in life. Two of those children were physically injured in the same police pursuit crash that killed their mother.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 2 Injuries.
.
EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Witness Lynn Conklin was the person who initially called 911 after seeing Schields driving erratically and nearly striking multiple vehicles before police caught up with her. Elizabeth's husband, Jose Martinez, subsequently described his wife as an uplifting, supportive and caring mother devoted to protecting and providing for their three children.
.
DISPOSITION:
New York State Police investigated the collision, and the New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation opened an investigation because the two deaths occurred during a police pursuit. OSI subsequently closed its investigation with the determination that an officer did not cause the deaths. No officer was criminally charged for the officer's role in initiating or continuing the pursuit.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Village of Walden and Town of Montgomery officers involved in the traffic stop and pursuit were not publicly identified in the records located.
.
LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.recordonline.com/news/walden-fatal-crash-during-pursuit/
https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2024/police-pursuits/
https://hudsonvalley.news12.com/2-killed-2-injured-in-walden-police-chase-crash
https://hudsonvalleypress.com/2021/11/03/state-police-are-investigating-a-double-fatal-accident/
https://patch.com/new-york/midhudsonvalley/2-killed-orange-county-crash
https://hudsonvalleypost.com/2-dead-2-injured-in-head-on-crash-in-hudson-valley-on-ny-52/
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/9e8b749d/
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/media/publications/New_York_State_Office_of_the_Attorney_General-Second_Annual_Report__Oct._2022.pdf
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-the-martinezbello-family

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 10:25 p.m., a motorist called 911 after observing a 2018 Jeep Wrangler being driven erratically northbound on State Route 52 in the Town of Newburgh. Witness Lynn Conklin reported that the Jeep was traveling below the speed limit but repeatedly crossed toward opposing traffic and nearly struck at least five vehicles. Walden Police subsequently located the Jeep on Main Street and conducted a traffic stop.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 10/29/2021, shortly after 10:25 p.m., Walden Police stopped the Jeep on Main Street following the 911 report of erratic driving. Town of Montgomery Police arrived to assist. As officers approached the stopped Jeep, the driver drove away westbound on Route 52 and police escalated a pursuit.
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The pursuit continued west along Route 52. Contemporary reporting characterized it as a short pursuit but did not provide a reliable numerical speed, elapsed time or exact distance. Near Old Town Road, the Jeep crossed the double-yellow centerline into opposing traffic and struck an eastbound 2013 Toyota RAV4 driven by 35-year-old Elizabeth Bello head-on.
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Bello was traveling with two of her children, ages 16 and 6. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Both children survived but suffered injuries, including broken bones, and were transported to Garnet Health Medical Center. The 52-year-old driver of the Jeep, Joann B. Schields, was transported to a hospital and also died.
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Elizabeth had celebrated her 35th birthday only eight days before she was killed. She lived with her husband, Jose Martinez, and their three children, Manny, Melanie and Natalie. Two of those children were sitting inside her vehicle and were injured in the same collision that killed their mother.
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Elizabeth worked for KeyBank and had recently celebrated her fifth anniversary with the company. She had worked at several Orange County branches and was remembered by coworkers as someone with a promising future in banking who actively encouraged and helped other people succeed both professionally and personally. She was proud of her Mexican heritage.
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Her husband described Elizabeth as loving, caring, uplifting, supportive and encouraging and said their three children were at the center of her life. He said providing for and protecting them motivated her to keep moving forward regardless of obstacles. Following her death, Martinez was left grieving his wife while simultaneously caring for two children recovering from injuries sustained in the crash.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 2 Injuries.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Elizabeth’s husband, Jose Martinez, described her as a devoted mother whose priority was providing love and protection to their three children. Friends and coworkers remembered her as an uplifting and encouraging person who routinely helped others succeed. The collision killed Elizabeth while two of her children, ages 16 and 6, were inside her vehicle; both children survived with injuries.
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DISPOSITION:
New York State Police investigated the double-fatal collision. Because the deaths occurred during a police pursuit, the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation also reviewed the circumstances. No officer was criminally charged for the officer’s role in initiating or continuing the pursuit.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Village of Walden Police Department and Town of Montgomery Police Department did not publicly identify the officers who conducted the traffic stop and subsequent pursuit.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.recordonline.com/news/walden-fatal-crash-during-pursuit/
https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2024/police-pursuits/
https://hudsonvalley.news12.com/2-killed-2-injured-in-walden-police-chase-crash
https://hudsonvalleypress.com/2021/11/03/state-police-are-investigating-a-double-fatal-accident/
https://patch.com/new-york/midhudsonvalley/2-killed-orange-county-crash
https://hudsonvalleypost.com/2-dead-2-injured-in-head-on-crash-in-hudson-valley-on-ny-52/
https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/22993591/elizabeth-bello
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-the-martinezbello-family

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 4:00 a.m., Terre Haute dispatchers received a 911 call reporting that people inside a Jeep SUV were threatening to shoot the caller. Terre Haute Police located a Jeep matching the description and attempted to stop it.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 10/29/2021, at approximately 4:00 a.m., Terre Haute Police officers responded to the report of occupants of a Jeep SUV allegedly threatening another person with gunfire. Officers located a Jeep matching the description and attempted a traffic stop. The driver continued driving away and police escalated a pursuit through Terre Haute.
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The pursuit continued to the area of South 13th Street and Lockport Street. During the chase, 35-year-old Shawn Michael Passwater lost control of the Jeep and crashed. The force of the collision ejected Passwater from the vehicle. He suffered fatal injuries. A passenger riding in the Jeep was also injured.
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The surviving public reporting does not provide a reliable maximum pursuit speed, elapsed pursuit time or total mileage. The Terre Haute Police Department also did not publicly identify the officer or officers who initiated and continued the pursuit.
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Passwater was born on 07/15/1986 in Youngstown, Ohio, attended Roachdale Elementary School and North Putnam High School, and had spent approximately 25 years training and showing horses. He won championships at both the Indiana 4-H State Fair and Kentucky State Fair and was also an accomplished coon hunter. His family said his greatest personal achievement was becoming a father to his son, Cash.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 1 Injury.
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DISPOSITION:
No publicly documented criminal charge or disciplinary disposition involving the Terre Haute Police officers for their roles in initiating and continuing the pursuit was located.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Terre Haute Police Department did not publicly identify the officer or officers who initiated and participated in the pursuit.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/terre-haute-police-chase-ends-in-fatal-crash/article_d389c1b6-4cb2-58e6-9c2b-87cf6b37a9b5.html
https://www.wthitv.com/news/local-news/terre-haute-police-investigate-fatal-crash/article_e8c7cdbb-5432-5cde-9c96-d789f7e4ad35.html
https://www.mywabashvalley.com/news/local-news/police-chase-in-terre-haute-leads-to-deadly-crash/
https://fox59.com/news/crime/driver-ejected-and-killed-in-terre-haute-police-chase-crash/
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/f8be7f64/
https://thepaper24-7.com/2021/11/shawn-michael-passwater/
https://www.serviesfuneral.com/obituaries/Shawn-Michael-Passwater?obId=23000308