Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Eric Eugene Cole Jr.
Age :42
Gender :Male
Race : Black
Date : 06/13/2021
Location : 1400 block South Center Boulevard
City : Springfield
County : Clark
State : Ohio
Agency : Springfield Police Department
Officer(s) : Amanda Rosales
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Killed after being run over by responding police cruiser
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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NARRATIVE:
On 06/13/2021, Eric Eugene Cole, 42, called 911 after he had been shot in the left arm and shoulder during an earlier altercation. At approximately 11:21 p.m., Springfield Police Division officers were dispatched to South Center Boulevard on the report of a man who had been shot. Cole was lying wounded in the roadway while officers responded.
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Officer Amanda Rosales responded in a marked 2019 Ford Explorer, Springfield police cruiser No. 70, with the vehicle's emergency lights activated. Rosales drove south on South Center Boulevard while looking toward houses for the reported address and did not see Cole lying in the roadway. Her cruiser drove over Cole. A second police cruiser's dash camera also recorded the collision.
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Rosales stopped and went to Cole. Dash-camera footage showed Cole lying in the roadway before Rosales reached him and captured the cruiser striking him. Rosales told Sgt. Brian Taylor at the scene that she felt her patrol vehicle bump something and believed she might have run over Cole's legs. Taylor reviewed in-car video at the scene and confirmed that the collision had been recorded.
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Springfield Fire and Rescue transported Cole to Springfield Regional Medical Center, and he was subsequently flown by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. Cole died at approximately 2:20 a.m. on 06/14/2021.
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The Montgomery County Coroner's Office determined that Cole died from blunt-force trauma to the torso and ruled his death an accident. The autopsy documented a fractured sternum, multiple rib fractures, abrasions and lacerations to his shoulders, back and chest, additional blunt-force injuries to his extremities, and the preexisting gunshot wound to his left arm. The gunshot wound was not determined to be his cause of death.
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The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigated the fatal vehicle-pedestrian collision. Its crash investigation documented Rosales as being in emergency response with her overhead lights activated and identified outside distraction as a factor, with Rosales looking for the address while approaching the scene.
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The Clark County Prosecutor's Office requested appointment of the Ohio Attorney General's Office as special prosecutor to avoid a conflict of interest. The case was presented to a Clark County grand jury on 06/07/2022. The grand jury declined to indict Rosales, issuing a no-bill. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost subsequently released the investigative case file.
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Cole's family disputed the characterization of the collision as an unavoidable accident and questioned how Rosales failed to see him. Family members pointed to the cruiser video, which showed Cole lying in the roadway as Rosales approached.
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CIVIL LITIGATION:
In December 2022, Cole's estate and family filed a federal civil-rights and wrongful-death lawsuit against Rosales and others. The lawsuit alleged that Rosales acted recklessly by failing to see and avoid Cole as he lay wounded in the roadway and also challenged the handling of the incident after he was struck. The family additionally sought federal review of Cole's death.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Amanda Rosales had been employed by the Springfield Police Division for approximately one year when she ran over Cole. She was placed on administrative leave following the fatal collision. A Clark County grand jury subsequently declined to indict her in Cole's death.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality
SOURCE LINKS :
https://dayton247now.com/news/local/man-dies-after-being-shot-run-over-by-responding-springfield-police-cruiser
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/final-autopsy-man-run-over-by-springfield-cruiser-died-from-blunt-force-trauma-to-torso-ruled-an-accident/FDYIWCWN7RHZPHALC6R3GPIPMA/
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/eric-coles-family-sues-springfield-police-for-his-death-seeks-federal-review-of-case/ZXWMQM2HORAQ5PIYF6HXXRQ2RA/
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/attorney-general-talking-today-about-deadly-springfield-case-of-man-shot-then-hit-by-police-cruiser/73I5L4A4UZDTLNTVMTGJLAF2D4/
https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/June-2022/Attorney-General-Dave-Yost-Releases-Investigative
https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/InvestigativeDocuments

Zandra Baez
Age :66
Gender :Female
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 06/09/2021
Location : Mt. Ephraim Avenue and Woodlyne Avenue
City : Woodlynne
County : Camden
State : New Jersey
Agency : Camden County Police Department
Officer(s) : Officer Kevin Randolph Gilbert Jr.
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed after being struck by police vehicle
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
NARRATIVE:
On 06/09/2021, at approximately 10:55 p.m., Camden County Police Department Officer Kevin Randolph Gilbert Jr. was on duty and in uniform, driving a marked patrol vehicle southbound on Mount Ephraim Avenue near Woodlynne Avenue. Gilbert was not responding to a call or police alert and was not operating the vehicle with emergency lights or siren.
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Zandra Baez, 66, was crossing Mount Ephraim Avenue when Gilbert's patrol vehicle struck her. Investigators determined Gilbert was traveling approximately 36 mph in a 35-mph zone and had a steady green traffic signal in his direction of travel. Early police statements reported no indication that Gilbert was speeding or distracted.
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Gilbert immediately stopped and radioed for emergency assistance. Baez sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 11:09 p.m.
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The New Jersey Attorney General's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability investigated the collision. Investigators obtained witness statements, video evidence and autopsy findings. The Attorney General subsequently released Gilbert's body-worn-camera recording and footage from two private security cameras near the crash scene. The security footage captured the immediate aftermath of the impact, including Baez being thrown from the patrol vehicle as Gilbert stopped.
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Baez's daughter, Juana Baez, publicly challenged the lack of criminal accountability and said her mother was a working woman who had routinely walked in the area for years. She subsequently organized a public petition calling for accountability in her mother's death.
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DISPOSITION:
The Attorney General's Office presented the fatal collision to a state grand jury after completing its investigation. On 11/07/2022, the grand jury voted no bill, determining that no criminal charges should be filed against Officer Kevin Randolph Gilbert Jr.
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CIVIL LITIGATION:
Baez's estate subsequently pursued a civil claim against the Camden County Police Department. The Estate of Zandra Baez v. Camden County Metro Police Department resulted in a reported $1.275 million recovery in 2025.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.nj.com/camden/2021/06/woman-struck-and-killed-by-camden-county-police-car.html
https://www.phillyvoice.com/woman-dies-after-being-hit-by-camden-county-police-vehicle/
https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2021/06/10/pedestrian-struck-and-killed-by-camden-police-vehicle/7647895002/
https://www.inquirer.com/news/new-jersey/camden-county-police-vehicle-fatally-strikes-woman-woodlynne-20210610.html
https://6abc.com/metro-camden-county-police-officer-zandra-baez-kevin-randolph-gilbert-jr-pedestrian-struck-and-killed/10802097/
https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/footage-released-accident-where-police-vehicle-fatally-struck-pedestrian-camden
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/camden-county-officer-cleared-patrol-144420433.html

Ashley Marie Forward
Age :19
Gender :Female
Race : White
Date : 06/09/2021
Location : Route 107 northbound, approximately one-half mile south of Ballard Street
City : Saugus
County : Essex
State : Massachusetts
Agency : Saugus Police Department
Officer(s) : Michael Richards; Sean Murphy
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 06/09/2021, 19-year-old Ashley Marie Forward was killed in a head-on collision on Route 107 in Saugus after Saugus Police Sergeant Michael Richards and Officer Sean Murphy pursued another driver following a reported unarmed robbery. Forward had no involvement in the incident that prompted the pursuit and was driving normally in the northbound lanes when the pursued vehicle came toward her traveling south in those lanes. Her mother later filed a wrongful-death and civil-rights lawsuit alleging that Richards and Murphy's high-speed pursuit created the circumstances that resulted in Ashley's death.
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At approximately 10:49 a.m., Saugus police received a report of an unarmed robbery at the 7-Eleven at 386 Lincoln Avenue. Police obtained a description of a vehicle connected to the robbery and spotted it traveling east on Ballard Street. Richards and Murphy pursued the vehicle through Saugus.
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The police department's original account characterized what followed as a "brief pursuit" and said officers immediately terminated it after the driver entered Route 107 traveling south in the northbound lanes. That description subsequently became a significant point of dispute when Ashley's mother, Michelle Luongo, obtained additional information and sued the officers and town.
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The family's lawsuit alleges that Richards and Murphy pursued at increasingly high speeds along Lincoln Street and Ballard Street. According to the complaint, the chase exceeded 80 mph before the fatal collision. The lawsuit characterizes the officers' actions as an unreasonable and extremely dangerous pursuit and alleges that police continued escalating the chase despite the underlying call involving an unarmed robbery.
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The lawsuit also alleges that the person police were pursuing was already well known to Saugus officers, providing police with an alternative means of identifying and apprehending him rather than engaging in a high-speed vehicle pursuit. That contention directly challenges the necessity of exposing surrounding motorists to the risks created by the chase.
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Once the pursued vehicle entered Route 107 in the wrong direction, police reported terminating the pursuit. It traveled approximately another half-mile south in the northbound lanes before colliding head-on with Ashley's vehicle. Ashley was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Ashley had only recently begun driving. She turned 19 in April and obtained her driver's license shortly afterward. Accounts differ slightly regarding her immediate destination that morning: some family reporting said she was returning from her boyfriend's home before going to her job at Target, while other reporting said she was on her way to visit her grandmother. Either way, she was engaged in an entirely ordinary trip when the police pursuit entered her path.
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Ashley had graduated from KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate in 2020 and had just completed her freshman year at Emmanuel College in Boston, where she was studying nursing. She worked at Target in Medford and had previously been a camp counselor for the Boys & Girls Club of Lynn at Camp Creighton Pond. She also volunteered with My Brother's Table.
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She had been extensively involved in athletics and activities while growing up, including softball, soccer, dance, debate and cheerleading. After graduating from KIPP, she helped coach softball there. Her mother later explained that nursing fit Ashley's personality because she wanted to care for and help other people. Ashley left behind her mother Michelle, brother Anthony and younger sister Jillian, who was 10 when Ashley was killed.
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The criminal justice system focused primarily on the pursued driver. In September 2021, an Essex County grand jury indicted him on murder, manslaughter, motor-vehicle homicide and other charges. He remained incarcerated while the prosecution continued.
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Ashley’s family separately pursued accountability for the police decisions that preceded the crash. In 2024, Michelle Luongo, acting on behalf of Ashley's estate, filed suit against the Town of Saugus, Sergeant Michael Richards, Officer Sean Murphy and the pursued driver. The case was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts as Luongo v. Town of Saugus et al., No. 1:24-cv-12311.
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The lawsuit alleges that the officers' pursuit demonstrated a reckless disregard for public safety and that their conduct caused or contributed to the collision that killed Ashley. The federal case asserts civil-rights claims under 42 U.S.C. §1983 as well as other claims arising from her death. Richards, Murphy and the town sought dismissal of portions of the complaint after the case reached federal court.
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There has also now been a major criminal-case development. On 06/09/2026, exactly five years after Ashley was killed, the pursued driver was sentenced after pleading guilty to manslaughter, unarmed robbery and receiving a stolen vehicle. He received 18 to 20 years for manslaughter followed consecutively by another six to eight years for the robbery, followed by five years of probation — an aggregate prison sentence of 24 to 28 years.
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At sentencing, Ashley's mother and younger sister spoke about what her death had taken from their family. Her mother emphasized that Ashley's choice to study nursing reflected her character and desire to care for people. Five years after the crash, Ashley's family therefore obtained a criminal resolution against the pursued driver while continuing to maintain through separate litigation that the decisions made by Saugus police also contributed to her death.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Michael Richards was a Saugus Police Department sergeant involved in the pursuit that preceded Ashley Forward's death. Ashley's family's federal lawsuit specifically names Richards and Sean Murphy and alleges that their pursuit reached speeds exceeding 80 mph and was unreasonable and extremely dangerous given the circumstances. Those allegations remain civil claims and are distinct from the criminal prosecution of the pursued driver.
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Sean Murphy is particularly significant because Ashley Forward's death was not his only subsequent fatal encounter involving Saugus police. Just 66 days after Ashley was killed, Murphy shot and killed 38-year-old Stephanie Gerardi inside her Saugus home on 08/14/2021 during a police response initiated by Gerardi's family seeking psychiatric help for her. The Essex District Attorney later declined to charge Murphy in Gerardi's killing.
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Murphy is therefore now a defendant in two separate federal civil-rights cases involving two deaths occurring just over two months apart in 2021: Ashley Forward's family alleges that Murphy and Richards conducted the dangerous high-speed pursuit that resulted in Ashley's death, while Stephanie Gerardi's family alleges that Murphy and other Saugus officers improperly escalated Gerardi's mental-health intervention before Murphy shot her. The allegations in both lawsuits remain subject to adjudication.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/09/13/mother-of-teen-killed-in-2021-saugus-crash-that-involved-police-chase-sues-town-officers/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/09/11/metro/mother-of-woman-19-killed-in-2021-crash-involving-police-pursuit-of-suspect-in-saugus-sues-town-cops/
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/massachusetts/madce/1%3A2024cv12311/274963
https://www.essexcountyda.com/news/ashley-forward-remembered-as-william-leger-sentenced-for-manslaughter-other-charges
https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2026/06/09/salem-man-sentenced-for-saugus-crash-that-killed-19-year-old-nursing-student/
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/man-sentenced-to-decades-in-prison-for-deadly-wrong-way-saugus-crash/3962591/
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/william-leger-saugus-crash-sentence-ashley-forward/
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/william-leger-robbery-saugus-route-107-fatal-crash-ashley-forward/
https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2021/06/09/wrong-way-driver-fatal-crash-saugus/
https://www.mass.gov/news/somerville-man-indicted-for-murder-in-wrong-way-crash
https://www.mass.gov/news/somerville-man-held-without-bail-in-fatal-saugus-crash
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/itemlive/name/ashley-forward-obituary?id=14657096
https://itemlive.com/2021/06/09/one-fatality-in-head-on-crash-on-route-107-in-saugus/

Jason A. Mitchell
Age :35
Gender :Male
Race : White
Date : 06/08/2021
Location : Unknown
City : St. John
County : Lake
State : Indiana
Agency : Dyer Police Department; Lake County Sheriff’s Department
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR CHASE: At approximately 3:30 a.m., Dyer Police Department officers attempted to stop Jason Mitchell after observing the white Chevrolet Impala he was driving eastbound from the Illinois state line on U.S. Route 30 without license plates. Mitchell continued driving and police initiated a pursuit.
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NARRATIVE:
On 06/08/2021, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Dyer Police Department officers attempted to stop a white Chevrolet Impala being driven by 35-year-old Jason Mitchell of Steger, Illinois. Police said the Impala was traveling east from the Illinois state line on U.S. Route 30 without license plates. Mitchell continued driving and Dyer police pursued him through northwest Indiana.
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The pursuit continued onto U.S. Route 41 and south into St. John. Near the 9700 block of U.S. 41, Mitchell’s Impala rear-ended a blue Nissan sedan. The Nissan driver was injured but did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
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After striking the Nissan, Mitchell’s Impala collided with a Lake County Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicle that had responded to assist Dyer police. The impact badly damaged the patrol vehicle and caused the Impala to overturn near U.S. 41 and 101st Street. Mitchell was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The Lake County sheriff’s deputy driving the patrol vehicle was able to get out of the damaged cruiser and was treated for a broken wrist and shoulder injuries. Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. identified the deputy as a five-year veteran of the department.
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The fatal collision involved three vehicles: Mitchell’s Chevrolet Impala, the Nissan sedan and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicle. The crash investigation closed U.S. 41 for several hours.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 2 injuries
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SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/police-chase-st-john-indiana/
https://abc7chicago.com/st-john-crash-dyer-police-route-41-chase/10761874/

Michael J. Knighten
Age :32
Gender :Male
Race : Black
Date : 06/05/2021
Location : LA-1034 and Vincent Road
City : Denham Springs
County : Livingston
State : Louisiana
Agency : Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR CHASE: Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched at approximately 8:00 a.m. to a disturbance at a residence on Vincent Road involving an armed man. After speaking with witnesses, deputies identified the man as Michael J. Knighten of Hammond and identified the vehicle he was driving. Deputies subsequently located Knighten, who drove away and led them on a short vehicle pursuit.
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NARRATIVE:
On 06/05/2021, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a residence on Vincent Road in Denham Springs following a report of a disturbance involving an armed man. Witnesses identified Michael J. Knighten and the vehicle he was driving. Deputies located Knighten a short time later and attempted to apprehend him. Knighten drove away and deputies pursued him.
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According to Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard, Knighten drove toward LA Highway 16 during the pursuit and made a U-turn near the highway. Knighten then drove toward a Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle positioned near James Street. The deputy driving the patrol vehicle pulled to the side of the road.
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The Sheriff’s Office said Knighten continued directly toward the stopped patrol vehicle and struck it head-on. Authorities described the collision as intentional. Knighten sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
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The Livingston Parish deputy inside the patrol vehicle sustained injuries described as non-life-threatening. The deputy was transported for medical treatment.
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The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the circumstances preceding the collision. Louisiana State Police responded and assisted with the investigation.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 1 injury
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.brproud.com/news/lpso-deputy-hurt-and-suspect-dies-in-head-on-collision
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_ba9c7d92-c8c9-11eb-bc0b-b7744e5c51f5.html
https://www.wafb.com/2021/06/06/man-dead-after-head-on-collision-during-police-chase/
https://www.wbrz.com/news/armed-suspect-plows-vehicle-into-deputy-s-unit-suspect-killed-deputy-injured

Mark A. Sousa
Age :44
Gender :Male
Race : White
Date : 06/05/2021
Location : Intersection of Bartlett Road and Wings Mills Road
City : Mount Vernon
County : Kennebec
State : Maine
Agency : Kennebec County Sheriff's Office, Mount Vernon Police Department
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR CHASE: At approximately 9:30 p.m., Kennebec County sheriff’s deputies learned that Mark Sousa, who earlier that evening had fled an attempted traffic stop while riding a motorcycle at more than 100 mph, had been seen driving his Volkswagen Jetta on Burns Road in Augusta. A sheriff’s deputy and an Augusta police officer attempted to stop the Jetta. Sousa accelerated away with the vehicle’s lights off.
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NARRATIVE:
On 06/05/2021, at approximately 6:22 p.m., a Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office deputy observed a motorcycle traveling east on U.S. Route 202 in Manchester at an estimated speed exceeding 100 mph. The deputy attempted to stop the motorcycle but did not pursue because of its speed. A short time later, police found the motorcycle abandoned near the Augusta-Manchester line and saw a man running into the woods.
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Police identified the motorcycle’s registered owner. The owner told investigators he was in the process of selling the motorcycle to Mark Sousa, 44, of Augusta. Officers began looking for Sousa.
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At approximately 9:30 p.m., deputies received information that Sousa had been seen driving his Volkswagen Jetta on Burns Road in Augusta. A Kennebec County sheriff’s deputy and an Augusta police officer attempted to stop the Jetta. Sousa accelerated away with the vehicle’s headlights off and traveled north on Prescott Road. Police decided not to pursue because of Sousa’s reckless driving.
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Law enforcement continued attempting to locate the Jetta using reports from witnesses who saw a speeding vehicle. Near Bartlett Road and Wings Mills Road in Mount Vernon, officers found evidence that a vehicle had left the roadway at approximately the same time dispatchers began receiving reports of a crash in that area.
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Police located Sousa’s Volkswagen in the woods with no one inside. During a search of the surrounding area, officers found Sousa lying in a field after he had been thrown from the vehicle during the crash. Rescue personnel determined that he had died at the scene.
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The fatal crash followed two separate attempted police stops on the same evening. Deputies declined to pursue Sousa after the first attempted stop because the motorcycle was traveling at more than 100 mph, and police again declined to pursue after the second attempted stop because of the Jetta’s reckless driving.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.centralmaine.com/2021/06/06/augusta-man-killed-in-crash-in-mount-vernon-following-two-speeding-incidents/
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/crime/one-person-dead-after-two-related-police-pursuits-near-the-manchester-augusta-maine-town-line/97-c0103d92-05cb-44fe-896b-36130094edeb
https://www.wmtw.com/article/augusta-man-dies-after-high-speed-pursuit-and-crash-into-woods/36640898

Patsy S. Arnold
Age :73
Gender :Female
Race : White
Date : 06/04/2021
Location : U.S. 50 Highway near Milton Thompson Road
City : Jackson County
County : Jackson
State : Missouri
Agency : Lone Jack Police Department
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR CHASE: A Lone Jack Police Department officer clocked a red 1999 Ford Ranger at approximately 89 mph in a 65-mph zone near U.S. Highway 50 and Lakota Lane. The officer attempted a traffic stop and initiated a pursuit. During the pursuit, police ran the truck's license plate and determined that it had been reported stolen.
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NARRATIVE:
On 06/04/2021, at approximately 12:38 p.m., a Lone Jack Police Department officer attempted to stop a Ford Ranger on U.S. Highway 50 after clocking it at approximately 89 mph in a 65-mph zone. When the driver continued westbound, the officer initiated a high-speed pursuit that continued approximately five miles through daytime highway traffic.
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Lone Jack police continued the pursuit as speeds increased and the Ranger weaved through traffic and entered the grassy median. During the pursuit, police determined from the license plate that the Ranger had been reported stolen. Lone Jack police requested assistance from Lake Lotawana Police Department, whose officers prepared to deploy stop sticks ahead of the pursuit.
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As the pursuit approached the Lake Lotawana officers' position east of Milton Thompson Road, the Ranger entered the grassy median before reaching the stop-stick deployment. The Ranger crossed the median into opposing eastbound traffic and became airborne.
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Patsy “Pat” Arnold, 73, was traveling eastbound on U.S. 50 in a 2020 Ford Escape with her sister, Sherrie Huhs, 64, in the front passenger seat. Arnold was returning home to Smithville when the Ranger crossed into the eastbound lanes and struck her vehicle. The Ranger also struck another vehicle before overturning in a ditch.
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Arnold sustained fatal injuries and was airlifted to Research Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at approximately 2:28 p.m. Huhs was injured and transported to a hospital. The driver of the other vehicle, a 30-year-old woman, sustained minor injuries. The fleeing driver also survived with injuries.
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Jackson County Sheriff's Office personnel apprehended the fleeing driver after he left the crashed Ranger and ran into a wooded area. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, which had not participated in the pursuit, investigated the fatal collision.
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Arnold's husband, Bob Arnold, a retired Kansas City Police Department officer and detective, publicly challenged Lone Jack police over the decision to continue the pursuit through highway traffic. He questioned why officers continued a high-speed chase after obtaining the Ranger's license plate and argued that police created a greater danger to the public by continuing the pursuit.
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Lone Jack Police Department was operating under a pursuit policy dating to 2005 that permitted officers to pursue stolen vehicles and required officers to weigh the danger created by a pursuit against the danger of allowing the fleeing person to remain at large. After Arnold's death, Lone Jack substantially restricted its pursuit policy, limiting initiation of pursuits to violent felonies.
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CIVIL LITIGATION:
Lone Jack subsequently paid Arnold's family $441,000 to settle civil claims arising from the fatal pursuit, the maximum civil award allowable under Missouri law.
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DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver was Francois C. Orloff. Prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder, resisting arrest by fleeing police and tampering with a motor vehicle. Orloff later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced on 06/24/2026 to 15 years in Missouri state prison.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 3 injuries
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/suspect-charged-with-murder-in-deadly-crash-following-police-chase-on-u-s-50
https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/suspect-suffers-critical-injuries-in-crash-on-u-s-highway-50
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/kc-metro-police-department-policies-vary-on-pursuits-over-stolen-cars
https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article251964923.html
https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article252114963.html
https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/m/newsflash/home/detail/1110
https://www.kmbc.com/article/1-person-seriously-injured-after-crash-while-lone-jack-police-missouri-in-pursuit-of-stolen-vehicle-on-us-highway-50-1622860583/36636577
https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article281420643.html

James Dringenberg
Age :27
Gender :Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 06/02/2021
Location : Interstate 60 near South Workman Mill Road
City : City of Industry
County : Los Angeles
State : California
Agency : Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; regional crime task force
Officer(s) : Not disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR CHASE: Investigators assigned to a regional crime task force were conducting surveillance of a 2019 Nissan Sentra connected to an armed-robbery investigation. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to assist the task force. When deputies attempted to stop the Sentra, the driver continued and police initiated a pursuit.
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NARRATIVE:
On 06/02/2021, investigators with a regional crime task force were following a 2019 Nissan Sentra in Los Angeles County in connection with an armed-robbery investigation. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies joined the operation and attempted to stop the vehicle. When the driver continued, deputies pursued the Sentra into the City of Industry.
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During the pursuit, the Sentra traveled the wrong way on Workman Mill Road. Near Workman Mill Road and the Pomona (60) Freeway, the Sentra collided head-on with a Freightliner truck. The California Highway Patrol subsequently investigated the collision but was not the agency conducting the pursuit.
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James Andrew Dringenberg, 27, was a passenger in the Sentra. He sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office subsequently identified him.
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The driver of the Sentra, Daisy Jerez, sustained major injuries and was arrested. The Freightliner driver sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Eric Ortiz later stated that sheriff’s deputies had been called to assist the regional crime task force investigators who were following the vehicle before the attempted stop. Contemporary reporting did not identify the task force, the individual investigators conducting the surveillance, or the deputies who participated in the pursuit.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 2 injuries
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.foxla.com/news/1-killed-another-seriously-hurt-in-crash-in-city-of-industry
https://mynewsla.com/crime/2021/06/03/passenger-killed-driver-injured-during-pursuit-through-city-of-industry/
https://heysocal.com/2021/06/03/man-killed-in-crash-after-police-pursuit-in-city-of-industry-identified/

David J. Burdick
Age :27
Gender :Male
Race : White
Date : 06/02/2021
Location : Merrill
City :
County : Lincoln
State : Wisconsin
Agency : Lincoln County Sheriff's Office
Officer(s) : Deputies Dean Dokken, Logan Lange, Ashtin Zunker
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies pursued David J. Burdick after identifying the vehicle he was driving as a reported stolen vehicle.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 06/02/2021, at approximately 5:24 p.m., Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies began actively pursuing a reported stolen vehicle driven by David J. Burdick, 27, in rural Lincoln County. Two sheriff’s patrol vehicles participated in the pursuit. Wisconsin Department of Justice records identified the deputies occupying the two cruisers as Dean Dokken, Logan Lange and Ashtin Zunker. Dokken had approximately one year of service, Lange five years and Zunker three months.
.
Deputies continued the pursuit as Burdick traveled westbound at high speed on rural roads. At or near the intersection of County Highway Q and Joe Snow Road, Burdick lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle left the roadway, became airborne and struck a tree. Burdick was ejected and died at the scene. He was the vehicle’s sole occupant.
.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation conducted an independent investigation of the fatal pursuit with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol, Lincoln County Coroner’s Office, Merrill Fire Department, Merrill EMS, Merrill Police Department and DOJ Office of Crime Victim Services.
.
The completed investigation identified Deputy Dean Dokken as the deputy actively pursuing Burdick when the fatal crash occurred. Lincoln County District Attorney Galen Bayne-Allison reviewed the DCI investigation and declined criminal charges against Dokken. The prosecutor concluded that the patrol vehicle and Burdick’s vehicle were never in sufficiently close proximity for Dokken’s cruiser to create a collision risk and determined that Dokken did not legally cause Burdick’s death.
.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2021/06/08/identities-released-in-fatal-lincoln-co-chase/
https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2021/11/08/deputy-cleared-in-fatal-crash-investigation/
https://www.wsaw.com/2021/11/08/lincoln-county-da-deputy-did-not-cause-death-suspect-fatal-pursuit/
https://www.wispolitics.com/2021/dept-of-justice-lincoln-county-wis-officer-involved-critical-incident/

Name Not Disclosed
Age :
Gender :Male
Race : Unknown
Date : 05/31/2021
Location : 2800 block of Highway 150
City : Urbana
County : Linn
State : Iowa
Agency : Linn County Sheriff's Office; Iowa State Patrol
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: At approximately 8:55 p.m., a Linn County Sheriff’s Office deputy located a vehicle that had been reported stolen in Cedar Rapids traveling northbound on Interstate 380 south of Center Point. The deputy activated emergency lights and siren and attempted to stop the vehicle.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/31/2021, a Linn County Sheriff’s Office deputy located the reported stolen vehicle traveling northbound on Interstate 380 south of Center Point and initiated a pursuit after the driver continued northbound. The deputy pursued the vehicle north on I-380 to the Urbana exit and then west on Iowa Highway 150.
.
In the 2800 block of Highway 150 west of the I-380 interchange, the juvenile driver and juvenile passenger attempted to get out while the vehicle was still moving. After the driver exited, the moving vehicle ran over him. The uncontrolled vehicle continued forward and struck an occupied house.
.
The juvenile driver sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. The passenger was located nearby and taken into custody. Authorities did not publicly release either juvenile’s name.
.
The Iowa State Patrol investigated the fatal incident.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.kcrg.com/2021/06/01/one-dead-after-fleeing-moving-vehicle-during-pursuit-in-linn-county/
https://www.thegazette.com/crashes/juvenile-killed-by-moving-stolen-vehicle-he-was-fleeing-from-linn-deputies-say/
https://www.wowt.com/2021/06/01/driver-fleeing-iowa-police-fatally-jumps-from-moving-vehicle/
https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/linn-county-sheriffs-deputy-chase-with-stolen-car-ends-with-one-dead
https://khak.com/juvenile-killed-linn-county-chase/

Tou Yia Lor
Age :33
Gender :Male
Race : Asian
Date : 05/31/2021
Location : Oak Street and Domke Street
City : La Crosse
County : La Crosse
State : Wisconsin
Agency : Onalaska Police Department
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Motorcycle driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On May 31, 2021, an Onalaska Police officer observed a motorcycle speeding on Highway 35. The officer attempted to stop the motorcycle at a stop sign, and although the rider initially appeared to comply, the motorcyclist sped off down Oak Avenue at an estimated speed of 100 mph. While notifying dispatch to end the pursuit, the officer witnessed the motorcycle crash into a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The motorcyclist, identified as 33-year-old Tou Yia Lor, was thrown from the motorcycle and died from the injuries sustained in the crash. The driver of the Hyundai Tucson was injured.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 Fatality, 1 Injury
SOURCE LINKS :

Name Not Disclosed
Age :
Gender :Unknown
Race : Unknown
Date : 05/30/2021
Location : US-301 and Courtland Road
City : Petersburg
County : Prince George
State : Virginia
Agency : Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Office
Officer(s) : Not disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: At approximately 9:30 a.m., a Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office deputy operating radar observed a black Mercedes SUV speeding on Interstate 85 in Dinwiddie County. The deputy attempted a traffic stop and pursued the Mercedes when the driver continued.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/30/2021, a Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office deputy operating radar on Interstate 85 observed a black Mercedes SUV speeding and attempted to stop it. The deputy pursued the Mercedes from Interstate 85 onto Route 703.
.
The deputy lost sight of the Mercedes on Route 703 and terminated the pursuit. A few minutes later, Prince George County 911 received a call from Johnny’s Towing reporting that a black Mercedes matching the vehicle Dinwiddie deputies had pursued had pulled into the business and then left traveling northbound on South Crater Road/U.S. Route 301.
.
At approximately 10 a.m., the Mercedes crashed on Route 301 near the Courtland/I-95 exit in Prince George County. Investigators said the driver apparently lost control on the wet roadway, left the road and struck a tree. The driver was alone in the vehicle and died on impact.
.
Prince George County Police Department investigated the fatal crash.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/route-301-prince-george-driver-killed-was-fleeing-deputy
https://www.12onyourside.com/2021/05/30/police-say-driver-fatal-crash-had-been-fleeing-deputies/

Name Not Disclosed
Age :
Gender :Male
Race : Unknown
Date : 05/28/2021
Location : Northwest 117th Avenue and NW 58th Street
City : Doral
County : Miami-Dade
State : Florida
Agency : Doral Police Department
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Doral Police Department officers identified the Volkswagen the man was driving as a reported stolen vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop at approximately 6:15 a.m. The driver continued and Doral police initiated a pursuit.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/28/2021, at approximately 6:15 a.m., Doral Police Department officers attempted to stop a Volkswagen identified by police as stolen. When the driver continued, Doral officers pursued the vehicle through Doral.
.
Police continued behind the Volkswagen until it reached the western limits of Doral near Northwest 58th Street and Northwest 117th Avenue. The vehicle entered an unpaved area with dirt roads paralleling Florida's Turnpike. Doral police terminated the pursuit after determining that the unpaved terrain was unsafe.
.
Shortly after terminating the pursuit, officers saw dust rising from a dark dirt road in the direction the Volkswagen had traveled. Officers followed the route and found the vehicle submerged in a canal near Northwest 117th Avenue and Northwest 58th Street. Police said the Volkswagen apparently struck a guardrail before entering the water. Poor lighting and darkness affected visibility in the area.
.
Doral police summoned Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. A rescue diver entered the canal and removed the driver from the submerged vehicle. Fire-rescue personnel performed CPR and transported him by air to a hospital, where he died. No passengers were inside the Volkswagen.
.
Miami-Dade Police Department Homicide Bureau investigated the death.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/05/28/man-pulled-from-water-after-car-plunges-into-canal-in-doral/
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/stolen-car-suspect-crash-canal-near-doral/
https://wsvn.com/news/local/man-dead-after-being-pulled-from-doral-canal-following-police-pursuit-of-stolen-car/

Chelsey Vollmer
Age :22
Gender :Female
Race : White
Date : 05/27/2021
Location : State Route 202 and U.S. Highway 40
City : Huber Heights
County : Montgomery
State : Ohio
Agency : Bethel Township Police Department, Huber Heights Police Department
Officer(s) : Shane Marker; Sgt. John Marshall; Capt. Zachariah Mumford; Chief Shawn McKinney
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Troy Police Officer Shane Marker went to Imperial Court intending to arrest Jalen Alexander on outstanding Miami and Greene County warrants. Marker knew Alexander was associated with a red Jeep Cherokee parked there but could not see who was driving when the Jeep left. Marker followed the Jeep as it drove legally through the neighborhood and initiated a traffic stop for its darkly tinted windows. When the driver continued, Marker initiated a pursuit.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 03/30/2021, shortly before 8:00 a.m., Troy Police Officer Shane Marker located a red Jeep Cherokee associated with Jalen Alexander parked and running at an Imperial Court residence. Marker knew Alexander had outstanding warrants and that Troy police had previously arrested him following an alleged March 7 shooting. Marker could not see who was inside the Jeep because of its tinted windows. Rather than approach or block the parked vehicle, Marker positioned his cruiser out of sight nearby and waited for it to leave.
.
When the Jeep left, Marker followed it. The Jeep stopped at a stop sign and otherwise drove legally through the residential neighborhood. Marker could not identify the driver but believed Alexander might be driving. Marker activated his emergency lights and initiated a traffic stop based on the Jeep's dark window tint. When the Jeep continued, Marker initiated a high-speed pursuit.
.
Marker pursued through 25-mph residential streets at speeds reaching approximately 50 to 65 mph before continuing south onto State Route 202. Sgt. John Marshall, Capt. Zachariah Mumford and Chief Shawn McKinney monitored the pursuit by radio as it developed.
.
On State Route 202, Marker continued the pursuit at speeds exceeding 100 mph. Marker’s cruiser video documented the police vehicle exceeding 100 mph, proceeding through red lights and occasionally crossing the center line while following the Jeep. Marker backed off at some intersections because of the danger of striking other motorists but continued the pursuit with his emergency lights and siren activated.
.
Traffic increased as the pursuit continued toward Huber Heights. Marker passed a school bus at approximately 102 mph. Chief McKinney instructed Marker to terminate the pursuit when he reached what McKinney called “Huber Heights traffic,” an area understood by the officers to be approximately 100 to 200 yards beyond the intersection of State Route 202 and U.S. Route 40. The pursuit therefore remained authorized through the intersection where Vollmer was subsequently killed.
.
Miami County sheriff’s deputies positioned stop sticks on State Route 202 near Ross Road. The Jeep struck the stop sticks, but police did not terminate the pursuit. Marker slowed temporarily while deputies removed the stop sticks and then accelerated again, reaching approximately 104 mph while continuing toward U.S. Route 40.
.
Chelsey Vollmer, 32, was driving to daycare with her 17-month-old daughter, Ezra, secured in a car seat. At State Route 202 and U.S. Route 40, the Jeep entered the intersection against a red light and struck the driver's side of Vollmer's vehicle at approximately 108 mph. Vollmer was killed. Her daughter survived and was extricated from the wreckage and transported to Dayton Children’s Hospital.
.
The Jeep's driver, Jalen Alexander, 19, also died. Passenger Tashaya Tipton survived with injuries. Troy police Sgt. John Marshall later testified that the police pursuit had never been terminated before the fatal impact.
.
Cruiser-camera video recorded the pursuit. Police records documented speeds reaching 120 mph and officers reporting at several points that they were backing off because of traffic, but Marker continued pursuing the Jeep.
.
CIVIL LITIGATION:
In 2023, Vollmer's estate sued the City of Troy, Officer Shane Marker, Sgt. John Marshall, Capt. Zachariah Mumford and Chief Shawn McKinney over the fatal pursuit. The lawsuit alleged that police continued an extremely dangerous pursuit for more than 11 miles at speeds exceeding 120 mph despite increasing traffic and opportunities to terminate it.
.
On 10/22/2025, the trial court denied the officers' request for summary judgment based on statutory immunity, finding that a jury could conclude Marker acted recklessly and that Marshall, Mumford and McKinney acted recklessly by monitoring the pursuit without stopping it. The court cited the weekday morning timing, speeds exceeding 100 mph, Marker passing a school bus at 102 mph, the nature of the offenses, available alternatives to a high-speed pursuit and the decision to allow the pursuit to continue through the intersection where Vollmer was killed.
.
On 07/02/2026, the Ohio Second District Court of Appeals reversed that ruling. The appellate court held that Marker, Marshall, Mumford and McKinney were entitled to statutory immunity and ordered the trial court to enter judgment in their favor. The appellate court concluded that the officers' conduct did not meet Ohio's legal threshold for wanton or reckless conduct.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 2 fatalities, 2 injuries
SOURCE LINKS :
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/nation-world/mom-remembers-innocent-mom-killed-in-crash-during-police-pursuit-one-year-ago
https://dayton247now.com/news/local/mother-speaks-one-year-after-huber-heights-police-chase-killed-her-daughter
https://wdtn.com/news/local-news/huber-heights-police-chase-ends-in-fatal-crash/
https://www.whio.com/news/local/one-person-dead-after-police-chase-ends-crash/4KPM44RJGZG4TLAHPMQFOVJO2Q/
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/1-killed-in-crash-that-ended-huber-heights-police-chase/MWWA4W4LXNCB7C3COWKX6XHPAE/
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/crime/deadly-120-mph-police-chase-troy-man-suspected-of-shooting-at-girlfriends-father/62TETXDSTBA5PDRE7CT55ES2GQ/
https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/wrongful-death-suit-vs-city-of-troy-continues-3-years-after-police-chase-crash/G5EDH7VAEBEW5GDIUI4RB3YS2M/
https://law.justia.com/cases/ohio/second-district-court-of-appeals/2026/30686.html
https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/2/2026/2026-Ohio-2526.pdf

Shai Lorene Chantele Boyd
Age :26
Gender :Female
Race : Black
Date : 05/27/2021
Location : US-75 and 286th Road
City : Liberty
County : Jackson
State : Kansas
Agency : Holton Police Department
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: At approximately 10:50 p.m., a Holton Police Department officer attempted to stop a 2009 Dodge Avenger driven by Robert E. Love Jr. in Holton. Love continued northbound on U.S. Highway 75 and the Holton officer initiated a pursuit. Available reporting does not disclose the specific reason police attempted the initial stop.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/27/2021, at approximately 10:50 p.m., a Holton police officer attempted to stop a 2009 Dodge Avenger in Holton. When the driver continued northbound on U.S. Highway 75, the officer pursued. Shai Lorene Chantele Boyd, 26, and 19-year-old Ciara Evertson were passengers in the Avenger.
.
The pursuit continued north out of Holton on U.S. 75. Police followed the Avenger east onto 254th Road and then north on W Road. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies joined the pursuit after being advised that Holton police were pursuing the vehicle north of the city.
.
The pursuit continued onto 286th Road approximately seven miles north of Holton. A Jackson County sheriff’s deputy was pursuing the Avenger westbound as it approached U.S. Highway 75. The Avenger entered the U.S. 75 intersection without stopping and collided with a southbound 2018 Jeep Renegade.
.
Boyd was killed in the collision and pronounced dead at the scene. The Avenger’s driver and Evertson sustained suspected serious injuries and were transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka. The Jeep’s driver, 41-year-old Sara Ditch, and passenger, 56-year-old Scott Ditch, sustained suspected minor injuries and were also transported for treatment.
.
Boyd was a mother of three children. Her family obituary identified her as Shai Lorene Chantele Boyd, born 09/13/1994 in Topeka.
.
The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated the fatal collision. The investigation ultimately resulted in criminal charges against the fleeing driver more than a year after Boyd’s death.
.
DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver was Robert Love Jr. In November 2022, prosecutors charged Love with first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated battery while driving under the influence, fleeing or attempting to elude police, and additional misdemeanor and traffic offenses arising from the fatal pursuit.
.
Love later pleaded no contest to two counts of aggravated battery while driving under the influence, one count of aggravated battery and one count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. Prosecutors dismissed the first-degree murder charge and the remaining misdemeanor and traffic counts as part of the plea agreement.
.
In February 2024, Love was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with credit for 383 days already served, followed by 36 months of post-release supervision.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 4 injuries
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.ksnt.com/news/local-news/avoid-the-area-holton-police-pursuit-leads-to-one-dead-4-hospitalized/
https://mscnews.net/local-news/822132/one-dead-following-jackson-co-pursuit
https://www.newschannelnebraska.com/story/44008072/pursuit-of-car-ends-in-fatal-northeast-kansas-collision
https://mscnews.net/local-news/818629/man-bound-over-on-charges-in-fatal-2021-jackson-co-wreck
https://mscnews.net/local-news/816922/man-sentenced-in-fatal-2021-jackson-co-wreck

Leah Mae Foster
Age :23
Gender :Female
Race : White
Date : 05/27/2021
Location : intersection of Lower Pindell Road and Southern Maryland Boulevard
City : Lothian
County : Calvert
State : Maryland
Agency : Metropolitan Police Department DC
Officer(s) : Austin Kirk Smith
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Killed by police vehicle
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/27/2021, at approximately 12:50 a.m., off-duty Metropolitan Police Department Officer Austin Kirk Smith was driving a 2018 Dodge Charger southbound on Southern Maryland Boulevard after leaving work. Smith was traveling approximately 105 mph as he approached Lower Pindell Road, where the posted speed limit was 55 mph.
.
Nicholas Raymond Harris, 21, was the front-seat passenger in a Chevrolet Equinox driven by his girlfriend, Leah Mae Foster, 23. Foster was crossing Southern Maryland Boulevard onto Lower Pindell Road when Smith's Charger struck the Equinox on the passenger side. Harris and Foster were pronounced dead at the scene. Smith sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a hospital.
.
Anne Arundel County police initially attributed the crash to the Equinox driver failing to yield the right of way. A subsequent crash reconstruction established that Smith had been traveling approximately 105 mph before impact. Prosecutors later concluded that Smith's driving warranted criminal prosecution.
.
Harris was a 2017 graduate of Northern High School in Owings. He played football and basketball growing up and later played adult flag football and refereed youth football games. His obituary described Foster as his girlfriend and said his parents believed she was going to be his soulmate.
.
DISPOSITION:
Prosecutors charged Smith with two felony counts of manslaughter by vehicle, two misdemeanor negligent-driving counts, reckless driving and negligent driving. The Metropolitan Police Department placed Smith on administrative leave.
.
Smith pleaded guilty in January 2023 to two counts of negligent manslaughter. On 03/24/2023, Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Stacy McCormack sentenced him to 20 years with all but 18 months suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Austin Kirk Smith joined the Metropolitan Police Department in 2019. Several months after killing Harris and Foster, MPD awarded Smith a Ribbon of Valor on 10/18/2021. Smith was subsequently placed on administrative leave after he was criminally charged in connection with the fatal crash.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 2 fatalities, 1 injury
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/2-killed-in-lothian-crash-1-hospitalized-with-serious-injuries/
https://www.wmar2news.com/local/d-c-police-officer-sentenced-to-18-months-for-lothian-crash-that-killed-2
https://www.capitalgazette.com/2024/02/23/dc-cop-fatal-crash-harris-foster/
https://www.aacounty.org/sao/press-releases/washington-dc-police-officer-sentenced-eighteen-months-fatal-lothian-crash
https://wtop.com/local/2022/05/dc-police-officer-charged-with-manslaughter-in-lothian-crash-that-killed-young-couple/

Nicholas Raymond Harris
Age :21
Gender :Male
Race : Black
Date : 05/27/2021
Location : intersection of Lower Pindell Road and Southern Maryland Boulevard
City : Lothian
County : Calvert
State : Maryland
Agency : Metropolitan Police Department DC
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Killed by police vehicle
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 05/27/2021, Nicholas Raymond Harris was the driver of an SUV attempting to make a left turn from Maryland Route 4 (Southern Maryland Boulevard) onto Lower Pindell Road in Lothian when the vehicle was struck by a Dodge Charger driven by an off-duty Metropolitan Police Department officer. Harris and his front-seat passenger, Leah Mae Foster, both suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. The off-duty officer was later charged and convicted of negligent manslaughter in connection with the crash.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/2-killed-in-lothian-crash-1-hospitalized-with-serious-injuries/
https://www.wmar2news.com/local/d-c-police-officer-sentenced-to-18-months-for-lothian-crash-that-killed-2
https://www.capitalgazette.com/2024/02/23/dc-cop-fatal-crash-harris-foster/

Robert Lee Evans
Age :35
Gender :Male
Race : White
Date : 05/25/2021
Location : Main Street
City : Wagram
County : Scotland
State : North Carolina
Agency : North Carolina State Patrol
Officer(s) : Bryer Aidan Hunt
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed in crash with police vehicle
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
NARRATIVE:
On 05/25/2021, at approximately 6:38 p.m., North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Bryer Aidan Hunt was driving a patrol vehicle northbound on N.C. Highway 401 in Wagram. Robert Lee Evans, 35, of Fayetteville, was driving a white BMW southbound on N.C. 401.
.
According to State Trooper Ray Pierce, Evans' BMW crossed the center line directly into Hunt's northbound lane. Investigators documented evidence that Hunt moved his patrol vehicle as far to the right as the fog line in an attempt to avoid the collision, but the BMW struck Hunt's patrol vehicle. No other vehicles were involved.
.
Evans sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Hunt sustained a compound fracture to his leg and was airlifted to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, where he was reported in stable condition.
.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol reconstruction team investigated the collision. Investigators said they planned toxicology testing as part of determining why Evans crossed the center line.
.
Evans was a U.S. military veteran who served in both the Marine Corps and Army, including a tour in Iraq. He was survived by his wife, parents, brother and sister.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Bryer Aidan Hunt was a North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper at the time of the crash. State employment records show Hunt began appearing as a Highway Patrol trooper in 2019 and was later promoted to Senior Highway Patrol Trooper.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 1 injury
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/hope-mills-nc/robert-evans-10213444
https://www.jmburtonlaw.com/wagram-nc-one-killed-trooper-hurt-in-crash-on-n-c-401/
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/49667/trooper-airlifted-after-tuesday-evening-crash

Ariel Miramon Soriano
Age :3
Gender :Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 05/25/2021
Location : NC-70 and N Oak Forest Road
City : Goldsboro
County : Wayne
State : North Carolina
Agency : Goldsboro Police Department
Officer(s) : Not disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Goldsboro police received a citizen complaint shortly before 11:20 a.m. reporting a pickup truck traveling at high speed and being driven carelessly and recklessly. An officer in an unmarked Goldsboro Police Department vehicle located the pickup near U.S. Highway 70 East and Berkeley Boulevard, activated emergency lights and siren and attempted to stop it. Police followed the pickup when the driver continued.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/25/2021, Goldsboro Police Department officers responded to a citizen's report of a reckless, speeding driver on U.S. Highway 70. An officer in an unmarked police vehicle located the pickup near U.S. 70 East and Berkeley Boulevard and activated the vehicle's emergency lights and siren. Police followed the pickup eastbound on U.S. 70 for less than one minute before the fatal collision.
.
Police documented the pickup traveling 75 mph in a 55-mph zone before the crash. The pursuit continued toward the intersection of U.S. 70 East and Oak Forest Road, where traffic was stopped at a red light.
.
Three-year-old Ariel Soriano was riding in the rear of a vehicle driven by his mother, 41-year-old Reina Soriano-Regalada. Ariel was secured in a child safety seat. The pickup struck their vehicle from behind, forcing it into a tractor-trailer stopped at the intersection.
.
Ariel was killed in the collision. His mother sustained serious injuries and was transported to Wayne UNC Health Care. Tractor-trailer driver Robert R. Wagner Jr., 66, sustained minor injuries and was also transported for treatment. The pickup driver sustained serious injuries.
.
North Carolina State Highway Patrol investigated the fatal crash. Troopers reported that the pickup driver was experiencing an undisclosed medical condition during the attempted police stop and crash.
.
DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver was Christopher Kelly Blair, 39. Goldsboro police initially charged Blair with reckless driving and traveling 75 mph in a 55-mph zone.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 3 injuries
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.goldsborodailynews.com/2021/05/26/victims-in-fatal-crash-identified-further-charges-pending/
https://www.goldsborodailynews.com/2021/05/26/child-killed-in-crash-on-u-s-70-in-goldsboro/
https://www.wral.com/story/3-year-old-child-killed-when-driver-crashes-into-cars-at-stoplight-on-us-70/19695300/
https://abc11.com/post/goldsboro-crash-on-70-oak-forest-nc/10694296/
https://www.witn.com/2021/05/25/child-killed-after-driver-fleeing-from-police-hits-vehicle-on-us-70/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/228035658/ariel_miramon-soriano

Francis De La Cruz Abad
Age :21
Gender :Male
Race : Black
Date : 05/25/2021
Location : 228 NJ-33
City : Trenton
County : Mercer
State : New Jersey
Agency : Hamilton Township Police Department
Officer(s) : Officer Brian Davis
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Fatal collision during attempted traffic stop
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Hamilton Township Police Detective Brian Davis, driving an unmarked police vehicle, saw Abad operating a Yamaha scooter erratically and without a helmet shortly after 9:00 p.m. on 05/25/2021. Davis attempted to stop Abad for the traffic violations.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/25/2021, shortly after 9:00 p.m., Hamilton Township Police Detective Brian Davis attempted to stop 21-year-old Francis Delacruz Abad while Davis was driving an unmarked police vehicle near Route 33 and Whitehorse-Mercerville Road. Abad was operating a Yamaha scooter.
.
Abad continued westbound on Route 33 after Davis attempted the stop. Near Whitehorse-Mercerville Road, Abad collided with a Dodge Caravan whose driver was turning left from eastbound Route 33 into the Mercerville Shopping Center.
.
The collision threw Abad from the scooter and into the windshield of the Dodge Caravan. Emergency personnel transported him to Capital Health Regional Medical Center. Abad died from his injuries at approximately 3:00 p.m. on 05/27/2021, two days after the crash.
.
The New Jersey Attorney General's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability investigated Abad's death under the state's Independent Prosecutor Directive. Investigators interviewed witnesses, examined photographs, reviewed body-worn-camera footage and obtained the medical examiner's autopsy findings. Video documenting the aftermath of the crash was also presented during the subsequent grand-jury proceeding.
.
DISPOSITION:
The Attorney General's Office presented Davis's conduct to a state grand jury. On 05/08/2023, the grand jury voted no bill and declined to criminally charge Davis in connection with Abad's death.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.nj.com/mercer/2021/05/scooter-operator-killed-in-trenton-crash-with-suv-police.html
https://www.trentonian.com/2021/05/26/hamilton-police-release-details-on-fatal-scooter-crash-involving-officer/
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hamilton-slash-robbinsville/sections/police-and-fire/articles/hamilton-police-officer-involved-in-fatal-scooter-crash
https://www.njoag.gov/state-grand-jury-declines-to-criminally-charge-officer-involved-in-fatal-motor-vehicle-crash-in-hamilton-that-occurred-on-may-25-2021/

Star Shells
Age :28
Gender :Female
Race : Black
Date : 05/24/2021
Location : NE 16th Street and Martin Luther King Avenue
City : Oklahoma City
County : Oklahoma
State : Oklahoma
Agency : Oklahoma City Police Department
Officer(s) : Dustin Fulton; Greg Bell; Anthony Riley
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Oklahoma City police were tracking a Ford F-350 reported stolen from a construction site. The owner had GPS tracking on the truck and was providing police with real-time location updates. Officers Dustin Fulton and Greg Bell located the truck stopped at a red light at Northeast 30th Street and Lincoln Boulevard. Fulton positioned his cruiser directly behind it, activated his emergency lights and attempted a high-risk stop. When the truck drove through the red light, Fulton and Bell initiated a pursuit.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/24/2021, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Oklahoma City police responded to the theft of a black Ford F-350 from a construction site at 2507 South Central Avenue. The truck had been left running with its keys inside. Officer Jon Hawkins learned that the owner could continuously track the truck through GPS and began relaying its changing location to police dispatch.
.
At approximately 7:59 a.m., Officer Dustin Fulton located the truck stopped at a red light at Northeast 30th Street and Lincoln Boulevard. Officer Greg Bell pulled in behind Fulton. Fulton announced a high-risk stop, activated his emergency lights and got out of his cruiser. When the truck drove through the red turn signal, Fulton and Bell began pursuing it, with Fulton as the primary pursuit officer and Bell as the secondary officer. Officer Anthony Riley assumed the supervisory role and coordinated the pursuit.
.
Police pursued the truck through populated Oklahoma City streets for five minutes and 55 seconds. Automatic vehicle-location data showed pursuit speeds approaching 100 mph. The truck reached approximately 83 mph in a 25-mph zone on Northeast 30th Street and approximately 98 mph on Santa Fe Avenue. Police continued pursuing through a series of 25-mph commercial and industrial streets.
.
Police also attempted to control intersections ahead of the pursuit. At Walnut Avenue and Northeast 50th Street, an officer positioned a patrol vehicle as a roadblock. Officers used additional patrol vehicles to block traffic at Northeast 50th Street and Lincoln Boulevard and at Kelley Avenue as the pursuit continued.
.
Fulton continued pursuing south on Martin Luther King Avenue toward Northeast 23rd Street. At that intersection, Fulton saw that cross traffic had a green light and that police had not been able to close the intersection ahead of the pursuit. The truck crossed against the red light through traffic. Fulton followed, temporarily losing sight of the truck as it crested a hill near Northeast 20th Street.
.
As Fulton approached the crest of the hill, he saw flashing school-zone lights and traffic ahead. Fulton later testified that he was preparing to terminate the pursuit because the chase was directly endangering other motorists, but he had not radioed a termination when the fatal collision occurred.
.
Star Shells, 28, had dropped off her children at daycare and school and was driving her white Chevrolet Impala eastbound through Northeast 16th Street with a green light. She was approximately six months pregnant with her son, Elijah Reeves III. The fleeing truck entered the intersection against the red light and struck Shells' car. Shells and Elijah were killed.
.
Oklahoma City Police Department's internal investigation determined that the pursuit violated department policy. Investigators concluded that police were pursuing a person wanted for a nonviolent property crime and that there was no immediate need for apprehension sufficient to outweigh the danger of a high-speed pursuit through populated areas.
.
OCPD formally reprimanded Fulton, Bell and Riley and required all three to undergo additional Reality Based Training. The department suspended Fulton for eight days without pay. OCPD removed Bell and Riley from their field-training-officer positions for one year and from their Law Enforcement Driving Tactics instructor positions for six months. Captain Paul Fredrickson and Major Kreg Kettler were also formally reprimanded because they monitored the pursuit by radio and failed to terminate it.
.
After the pursuit ended, body-camera video recorded Fulton discussing his pursuit driving while Shells and her unborn child lay dead or dying nearby. Fulton praised his own “shuffle steering,” another officer congratulated him and fist-bumped him, and Fulton asked whether the officer liked his driving.
.
CIVIL LITIGATION:
Shells' mother, Connie Basco, and Elijah Reeves, the father of her unborn child, sued Oklahoma City over the fatal pursuit. They alleged that the chase was unnecessary because police could continuously track the stolen truck through its GPS system and accused police of negligence and reckless conduct.
.
The litigation produced extensive pursuit records, including officer depositions, body-camera video, automatic vehicle-location data, OCPD's administrative investigation, pursuit-route records and disciplinary documents. In 2026, the federal court granted Oklahoma City's motion for summary judgment on the federal constitutional claims and remanded the remaining Oklahoma state-law claims to Oklahoma County District Court.
.
DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver was Wacey Gerron Mikles. Mikles pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, larceny of an automobile, unlawful possession of methamphetamine and driving without a valid license. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation, with the prison term running concurrently with a federal sentence.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Dustin Fulton was the primary pursuit officer. OCPD's investigation found that he violated pursuit policy and suspended him for eight days without pay. Greg Bell was the secondary pursuit officer and Anthony Riley supervised and coordinated the pursuit. OCPD formally reprimanded both, removed them from field-training duties for one year and suspended them as Law Enforcement Driving Tactics instructors for six months.
.
Fulton was later named as a defendant in a separate federal civil-rights lawsuit filed by Saadiq Long. Long alleged that Fulton participated in an unlawful traffic stop and arrest based on Long's placement on the federal terrorist watchlist. The lawsuit also named Greg Bell among multiple Oklahoma City police defendants. These were civil allegations, not findings that Fulton or Bell committed the alleged violations.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://okcfox.com/news/local/star-shells-killed-in-oklahoma-city-police-chase-files-wrongful-death-lawsuit-wacey-gerron-mikles-connie-basco-elijah-reeves-crime-martin-luther-king-boulevard-may-24-2024-okcpd-unborn-son
https://kfor.com/news/local/family-of-pregnant-bystander-killed-during-high-speed-police-chase-sues-the-city-of-okc/
https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/oklahoma/okwdce/5%3A2023cv01143/125038/115
https://www.koco.com/article/pregnant-mother-of-3-killed-after-suspect-crashes-vehicle-into-hers-during-police-pursuit-in-ne-okc/36523627
https://www.koco.com/article/chase-deadly-crash-victim-sues-oklahoma-city-police-department/44065069
https://www.yahoo.com/news/wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-okc-110244297.html
https://tucson.com/news/nation-world/crime-courts/oklahoma-highway-patrol-oklahoma-city-police-public-safety/article_e0ecf9cc-2d06-530f-a1b4-2899949dce03.html
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/oklahoma/okwdce/5%3A2023cv00080/120819

Charles Mills Jr.
Age :66
Gender :Male
Race : White
Date : 05/24/2021
Location : 44.729636, -91.364365 County Highway J and I-94
City : Fall Creek
County : Eau Claire
State : Wisconsin
Agency : Wisconsin State Patrol
Officer(s) : Ashley Morales
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Killed by crash involving police vehicle
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/24/2021, at approximately 9:16 a.m., Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Ashley Morales was conducting a traffic stop on westbound Interstate 94 approximately five miles south of Eau Claire. Morales was seated inside her marked patrol vehicle, which was stopped behind a vehicle driven by Samantha Marsh, 23.
.
Charles Mills Jr., 66, of Bumpass, Virginia, was driving westbound on I-94 with Janice O’Brien, 65, as his passenger. Mills' vehicle struck the rear of Morales' stopped State Patrol cruiser. The impact pushed Morales' cruiser forward into Marsh's vehicle, creating a three-vehicle collision.
.
Mills, O’Brien, Morales and Marsh were transported to Eau Claire-area hospitals. Mills subsequently died from his injuries. O’Brien was hospitalized with unspecified injuries. Morales and Marsh sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and Morales was released from the hospital.
.
The Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office investigated the fatal collision with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 3 injuries
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.wmtv15news.com/2021/05/26/one-person-dead-after-crash-with-state-patrol-squad-car-on-i-94-monday/
https://www.weau.com/2021/05/26/one-person-dead-after-crash-with-state-patrol-squad-car-on-i-94-monday/
https://www.weau.com/2021/05/24/crash-closes-part-of-i-94-south-of-eau-claire-monday-morning/
https://www.wsaw.com/2021/05/25/wi-state-patrol-trooper-two-others-injured-after-squad-was-struck-by-passing-driver/
https://www.fox6now.com/news/wisconsin-state-patrol-squad-struck-by-passing-motorist-3-hurt

Marcelo Pelaez
Age :46
Gender :Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 05/24/2021
Location : Woodhaven Boulevard and Rockaway Boulevard
City : Queens
County : Queens
State : New York
Agency : New York City Police Department
Officer(s) : Angelo Hurtado
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Pedestrian killed after being struck by off-duty police officer
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/24/2021, at approximately 12:26 a.m., off-duty NYPD Officer Angelo Hurtado was driving his personal black Honda Accord northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard with his wife and three-year-old daughter when he struck Marcelo Pelaez, 35, and Leonardo Rodriguez-Mendoza as the two men crossed Woodhaven Boulevard in the northern crosswalk at Rockaway Boulevard. Hurtado was assigned to the NYPD's 61st Precinct.
.
New York City Department of Transportation surveillance video recorded the collision. The video showed Hurtado had a green traffic light and Pelaez and Rodriguez-Mendoza entered the crosswalk against the pedestrian signal. Woodhaven Boulevard was eight lanes wide at the intersection, with a posted speed limit of 30 mph.
.
NYPD collision reconstruction calculated Hurtado's speed at approximately 35 to 39 mph immediately before impact, five to nine mph above the posted speed limit. An independent crash-reconstruction expert retained by the New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation reviewed the evidence and corroborated the NYPD speed analysis.
.
Hurtado stopped immediately after striking the two men and called 911 at approximately 12:29 a.m. Pelaez and Rodriguez-Mendoza were transported to Jamaica Hospital. Pelaez was pronounced dead on arrival at 2:46 a.m. His death certificate listed multiple blunt-force trauma injuries as the cause of death. Rodriguez-Mendoza sustained a traumatic brain injury, remained hospitalized in a vegetative state and died on 07/14/2021.
.
Surveillance video obtained during the investigation showed Hurtado drinking what appeared to be three beers while visiting friends between shortly before 10:00 p.m. and approximately 11:00 p.m. Hurtado and his family left at approximately 11:22 p.m. and later stopped for food before the fatal collision.
.
NYPD officers did not administer an alcohol test to Hurtado at the scene. The Collision Investigation Squad arrived nearly two hours after the collision. Hurtado then passed three field-sobriety tests but declined a breathalyzer test. NYPD suspended Hurtado for 30 days because he refused the breathalyzer.
.
The Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation investigated the deaths, reviewing surveillance video, witness statements, NYPD records and crash-reconstruction evidence. OSI criticized the delay in attempting to obtain an alcohol measurement and recommended that NYPD train patrol supervisors to administer breathalyzer and field-sobriety tests so officers involved in fatal crashes can be tested promptly.
.
DISPOSITION:
On 06/28/2023, OSI announced that it would not criminally charge Hurtado. OSI concluded that prosecutors could not prove criminally negligent homicide beyond a reasonable doubt based on the available evidence, including Hurtado's speed, the traffic signals, the lack of evidence establishing his blood-alcohol concentration at the time of the crash and witness observations after the collision.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Angelo Hurtado's DMV record documented 2015 convictions for improper use of a bus lane and failure to wear a seatbelt. NYPD suspended him for 30 days after he declined the breathalyzer following the fatal collision.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 2 fatalities
SOURCE LINKS :
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-generals-office-special-investigation-releases-report-deaths-marcelo
https://www.thelegaladvocate.com/news/breaking/marcelo-pelaez-ozone-park-pedestrian-crash-rockaway-woodhaven
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/reports/osi-palaez-and-rodriguez-report-6.28.2023.pdf

Leonardo Rodriguez-Mendoza
Age :46
Gender :Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 05/24/2021
Location : Woodhaven Boulevard and Rockaway Boulevard
City : Queens
County : Queens
State : New York
Agency : New York City Police Department
Officer(s) : Angelo Hurtado
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Killed by police vehicle
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/24/2021, at approximately 12:26 a.m., off-duty NYPD Officer Angelo Hurtado was driving his personal black Honda Accord northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard with his wife and three-year-old daughter when he struck Leonardo Rodriguez-Mendoza, 46, and Marcelo Pelaez as they crossed Woodhaven Boulevard in the northern crosswalk at Rockaway Boulevard.
.
New York City Department of Transportation surveillance video recorded the collision. The video showed Hurtado driving in the left northbound lane with a green traffic signal as Rodriguez-Mendoza and Pelaez entered the crosswalk against the pedestrian signal. Woodhaven Boulevard is eight lanes wide at the intersection and had a posted speed limit of 30 mph.
.
NYPD collision reconstruction calculated that Hurtado was traveling approximately 35 to 39 mph immediately before impact, five to nine mph above the posted speed limit. An independent crash-reconstruction expert retained by the New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation reviewed the evidence and corroborated the NYPD speed calculation.
.
Hurtado stopped immediately after striking the two men. Seven people called 911, including Hurtado, who reported that he had struck two pedestrians and requested medical assistance. Rodriguez-Mendoza and Pelaez were transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Pelaez died shortly after the collision.
.
Rodriguez-Mendoza sustained a traumatic brain injury and remained unresponsive in a vegetative state. He remained hospitalized for seven weeks before dying on 07/14/2021. His death certificate listed complications of blunt-impact injuries to the head and torso as his cause of death and classified the manner of death as accidental. No autopsy was performed because authorities were unable to locate Rodriguez-Mendoza's family and the hospital did not request one.
.
Surveillance video obtained during the investigation showed Hurtado drinking what appeared to be three beers while visiting friends between shortly before 10:00 p.m. and approximately 11:00 p.m. Hurtado left with his family at approximately 11:22 p.m. and later stopped at a Burger King before the collision.
.
NYPD did not administer an alcohol test to Hurtado at the crash scene. The Collision Investigation Squad did not arrive until nearly two hours after the collision. Hurtado subsequently passed three field-sobriety tests but declined a breathalyzer test. NYPD suspended him for 30 days for refusing the breath test.
.
NYPD disciplinary proceedings later established that Hurtado violated department rules by refusing the chemical breath test. Hurtado pleaded guilty to the departmental charge on 07/25/2023, and the NYPD disciplinary tribunal recommended forfeiture of the 30 suspension days he had already served.
.
The New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation investigated Rodriguez-Mendoza's and Pelaez's deaths. OSI reviewed surveillance video, witness accounts, NYPD records, collision reconstruction and the circumstances surrounding Hurtado's alcohol consumption and delayed sobriety testing.
.
DISPOSITION:
On 06/28/2023, OSI declined to criminally charge Hurtado. OSI concluded that prosecutors could not prove criminally negligent homicide beyond a reasonable doubt, citing the traffic-signal evidence, Hurtado's speed, the absence of a contemporaneous blood-alcohol measurement and witness observations that did not establish impairment.
.
OSI found that NYPD's patrol guide required a qualified patrol supervisor to administer an alcohol test to an officer involved in a fatal collision. Because Hurtado was not offered a breath test until nearly two hours after the crash, OSI recommended training all NYPD patrol supervisors to administer breathalyzer and field-sobriety tests so officers involved in fatal crashes could be tested promptly.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
NYPD records showed Hurtado had no prior departmental disciplinary history before the fatal collision. His driving record contained 2015 convictions for improper use of a bus lane and failure to wear a seatbelt.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 2 fatalities
SOURCE LINKS :
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-generals-office-special-investigation-releases-report-deaths-marcelo
https://www.thelegaladvocate.com/news/breaking/marcelo-pelaez-ozone-park-pedestrian-crash-rockaway-woodhaven
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/reports/osi-palaez-and-rodriguez-report-6.28.2023.pdf

Name Not Disclosed
Age :18
Gender :Male
Race : Unknown
Date : 05/21/2021
Location : 6000 block East Hardy Toll Road, near North Sam Houston Parkway
City : Houston
County : Harris
State : Texas
Agency : Houston Police Department
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: At approximately 3:50 a.m., Houston Police Department officers responded to a reported burglary in progress at a car dealership at 18225 Eastex Freeway near Will Clayton Parkway. Police encountered people attempting to steal vehicles from the dealership and saw a blue Dodge Challenger attempting to leave. After officers found the Challenger abandoned with its engine running, a gray Dodge Charger accelerated away from across the street. HPD officers initiated a pursuit.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/21/2021, Houston police responded to the dealership after receiving a report that several people were attempting to steal vehicles. Police said the group had obtained a lockbox containing vehicle keys and was attempting to take multiple cars from the lot.
.
Officers initially saw a blue Dodge Challenger attempting to leave the dealership. The Challenger traveled toward the rear of the property, where officers subsequently found it abandoned with its engine still running. As additional HPD patrol vehicles arrived, a gray Dodge Charger accelerated away from a dark area across the street. Police initiated a high-speed pursuit.
.
HPD pursued the Charger northbound on the Eastex Freeway and then westbound on the North Sam Houston Tollway. Police reported that the pursuit reached speeds of approximately 120 mph. Officers lost sight of the Charger before the Hardy Toll Road exit but continued west on the Sam Houston Parkway before terminating the pursuit.
.
A short time later, officers found a vehicle matching the Charger crashed near the intersection of the Sam Houston Parkway service road and Hardy Toll Road. Police determined that the car had been traveling at high speed as the driver attempted to turn from the Beltway toward the southbound Hardy Toll Road, lost control and struck a utility pole and wall. The vehicle caught fire.
.
Police pulled the 18-year-old driver from the burning vehicle. Emergency personnel transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Contemporary reports did not publicly identify him.
.
HPD Vehicular Crimes Division Sergeant E. Fendia and Officer J. Hill investigated the fatal crash. They were crash investigators and are not identified as the officers who conducted the pursuit.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality
.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/Teen-18-dies-after-crashing-vehicle-following-16193801.php
https://abc13.com/fiery-crash-police-chase-pursuit-hardy-toll-road/10672208/
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/18-year-old-man-dies-in-fiery-crash-in-north-houston
https://www.houstontx.gov/police/nr/2021/may/index.htm

Javaud Aubrey Ahangari
Age :23
Gender :Male
Race : Middle Eastern
Date : 05/19/2021
Location : Interstate 64 near the Bowers Hill Interchange
City : Chesapeake
County : Chesapeake
State : Virginia
Agency : Virginia State Police
Officer(s) : Not disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Speeding — 102 mph in a 65-mph zone
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/19/2021 at approximately 11:53 p.m., Javaud Aubrey Ahangari, 23, was driving a Hyundai Genesis eastbound on Interstate 64 in Chesapeake. Ahangari was a mechanical engineer who had graduated from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology and worked for SimIS Inc., where his family said he had become a lead mechanical engineer. He had purchased his first home in Virginia Beach approximately two months before his death. Ahangari was also an inventor subsequently named on patent applications involving mobile-target and conflict de-escalation training technology.
.
A Virginia State Police trooper conducting stationary radar alleged that Ahangari's Genesis and a motorcycle were traveling together at 102 mph in a 65-mph zone. The trooper attempted to stop both vehicles and pursued them eastbound on I-64. A second state trooper joined the pursuit. Police reported that speeds exceeded 125 mph.
.
The pursuit continued toward the Bowers Hill Interchange. As Ahangari approached the interchange, police said he lost control of the Genesis, ran off the interstate and crashed into a tree line. Ahangari died in the crash. The motorcyclist continued on I-64 and escaped the pursuing troopers. No additional deaths or injuries were reported in the crash.
.
Ahangari was born in Norfolk and graduated from the STEM Academy at Grassfield High School before attending Old Dominion University. His family described him as Iranian-American and said that he worked throughout college as an intern at SimIS before joining the company full time. He worked on robotics and was named as an inventor on technology developed by the company. He was survived by his parents, sister, brother-in-law and nephews.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Virginia State Police did not publicly identify the trooper who initiated the pursuit or the second trooper who joined it.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/chesapeake/man-dies-after-high-speed-chase-with-virginia-state-police-in-chesapeake/291-c338e594-c6a2-4a6f-bfa6-a409449dd610
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/javaud-ahangari-obituary?pid=198770308
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/pilotonline/name/javaud-ahangari-obituary?id=9682454
https://patents.justia.com/inventor/javaud-a-ahangari
https://patents.justia.com/patent/20220290949
https://patents.justia.com/patent/20230051169

Randy Cole
Age :31
Gender :Male
Race : White
Date : 05/19/2021
Location : I-29
City : Hillsboro
County : Traill
State : North Dakota
Agency : Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office, Traill County Sheriff's Office, North Dakota Highway Patrol
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Stolen vehicle
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/19/2021 at approximately 11:07 a.m., Randy Cole, 31, was driving a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix south on Interstate 29 between Thompson and Reynolds. The vehicle had been reported stolen from the Valley Dairy at 1220 University Avenue in Grand Forks approximately 15 minutes earlier. Grand Forks County sheriff’s deputies located the Pontiac near mile marker 125 and attempted a traffic stop. Police alleged Cole continued south, beginning a high-speed pursuit.
.
Three Grand Forks County deputies pursued Cole south on I-29 for approximately 25 miles. Speeds exceeded 100 mph for roughly the first 20 miles. Near Hillsboro, Traill County sheriff’s deputies deployed spike strips that deflated both front tires of the Pontiac. Cole continued approximately another five miles on the damaged front wheels.
.
Cole's passenger was 24-year-old Elena Fladeland. Dash-camera video subsequently released by Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider showed Fladeland opening the passenger door and partially emerging from the moving car twice after the tires were deflated. At one point she remained partially outside the car for approximately 15 seconds. Deputies later said this raised concern that she might be trying to escape or being held against her will and was one reason they continued the pursuit. Grand Forks police later determined Fladeland had not been in the Pontiac when it was initially stolen and authorities did not establish publicly when she entered the vehicle.
.
The pursuit continued into an I-29 construction zone south of Hillsboro where northbound and southbound traffic had been compressed into the southbound lanes, creating head-to-head traffic separated by construction markers. Despite the disabled front tires, the Pontiac was traveling approximately 70 mph as it entered the construction zone, where the posted speed limit was 65 mph.
.
Near mile marker 98, approximately one minute after Fladeland was last seen opening the passenger door, the Pontiac crossed the center separation and struck a northbound 2017 Kenworth tractor-trailer head-on. The North Dakota Highway Patrol investigated whether Cole lost control because of the damaged tires or deliberately crossed into the truck's path but had not reached a conclusion when the later dash-camera footage was released.
.
Cole was pronounced dead at the scene. Fladeland survived and was transported to Sanford Hospital in Fargo with serious injuries; later reporting said she remained in recovery. The semi driver, 24-year-old Amirtpal Singh of Winnipeg, Manitoba, suffered minor injuries, was transported to Sanford Hillsboro Medical Center, treated and released.
.
The Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office faced questions about why deputies continued the pursuit after the Pontiac's tires had been disabled and as it approached the head-to-head construction zone. Captain Joel Lloyd said immediately after the crash that the three pursuing deputies appeared to have acted within department policy but that the sheriff's office would conduct an internal review. All three deputies returned to patrol following the crash. Sheriff Andy Schneider subsequently released dash-camera footage of the pursuit in June 2021, defending the decision to continue and pointing particularly to Fladeland's apparent attempts to get out of the moving Pontiac.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office did not publicly identify the three deputies who pursued Cole. Because their names could not be reliably established from public records, individual prior-incident histories cannot be attributed to them. Captain Joel Lloyd publicly defended their conduct shortly after the crash, and Sheriff Andy Schneider later released pursuit video defending the decision to continue the chase. No reliable public record located documents criminal charges against the deputies arising from Cole's death.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://knoxradio.com/2021/05/19/1-dead-after-police-pursuit-in-gf-traill-counties/
https://www.nd.gov/ndhp/sites/www/files/documents/News/2021%20Media%20Release/May%202021%20Media%20Release/2021.5.20.TraillCounty.I-29.Fatal%20Crash.UPDATE.pdf
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/names-released-in-fatal-i-29-crash-pursuit-near-hillsboro
https://www.inforum.com/news/grand-forks-sheriffs-office-defends-chase-that-ended-with-deadly-crash-in-construction-zone
https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/grand-forks-county-sheriff-releases-dashcam-video-of-deadly-i-29-chase
https://www.valleynewslive.com/2021/05/19/traffic-backed-up-after-crash-on-i-29/
https://www.kvrr.com/2021/05/20/driver-who-died-in-pursuit-in-traill-county-identified/
https://kfgo.com/2021/05/21/north-dakota-highway-patrol-identifies-those-involved-in-fatal-high-speed-crash-on-i-29/

Rudolfo Villanueva
Age :36
Gender :Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 05/19/2021
Location : FL-29 and Farm Worker Way
City : Immokalee
County : Collier
State : Florida
Agency : Collier County Sheriff’s Office; Hendry County Sheriff’s Office
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Stolen dump truck
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/19/2021 at approximately 7:00 p.m., Rudolfo Villanueva, 36, was driving a 2015 Mack dump truck that had been reported stolen in LaBelle. The truck's driver had left it unattended near a Burger King on South Hall Street and discovered it missing when he returned. Hendry County sheriff's deputies began pursuing the truck and requested assistance from the Collier County Sheriff's Office as Villanueva traveled toward Immokalee on State Road 29.
.
Collier County deputies attempted to stop Villanueva after the pursuit entered their jurisdiction. During the chase, police alleged Villanueva drove erratically and struck a vehicle on New Market Road, injuring its driver. He continued driving the dump truck and collided with another vehicle before entering Farm Workers Village, a residential area in Immokalee. Available public reporting does not establish a reliable pursuit distance or maximum speed, so neither is estimated here.
.
The pursuit continued through Farm Workers Village. Collier County authorities said attempts to stop the dump truck were unsuccessful and at least one Collier County deputy fired at the truck. The dump truck subsequently left the roadway and crashed into a canal near State Road 29 and Farm Worker Way. Villanueva was found dead inside the truck.
.
The Collier County Medical Examiner was assigned to perform an autopsy to determine Villanueva's cause and manner of death. Although deputies fired at the dump truck immediately before the crash, the public follow-up reporting I could locate does not establish that Villanueva was struck by the deputies' gunfire or identify gunshot wounds as his cause of death. The available case record instead documents his death following the canal crash.
.
The driver of the vehicle struck on New Market Road was injured. Public reporting did not provide that person's identity or characterize the injuries as critical. A second vehicle was also struck during the pursuit, but the available reporting does not document additional serious injuries from that collision.
.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office placed the deputy who fired at the dump truck on administrative leave while the shooting and fatal crash were investigated. Despite an extensive search of later reporting and publicly searchable records, I could not reliably identify that deputy by name or locate a subsequent public report establishing discipline, criminal charges, a civil settlement, or a lawsuit arising from Villanueva's death.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Collier County Sheriff's Office did not publicly identify the deputy who fired at Villanueva's dump truck or the other deputies who participated in the pursuit. The shooting deputy was placed on administrative leave following the incident.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.fox4now.com/news/local-news/driver-deceased-after-leading-deputies-on-chase-in-stolen-dump-truck
https://www.winknews.com/2021/05/19/suspect-dead-after-dump-truck-chase-deputy-involved-shooting-with-crash/
https://www.fox4now.com/news/local-news/collier-county/deputy-involved-shooting-crash-in-immokalee-leaves-one-dead
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/crime/2021/05/19/collier-deputies-shoot-stolen-dump-truck-driver-who-dies-after-crash/5171919001/
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article251553178.html
https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/dump-truck-thief-dies-after-leading-deputies-on-chase-in-immokalee/46735516

Howard Miller
Age :59
Gender :Male
Race : Black
Date : 05/18/2021
Location : Old Concord Road and Gold Hill Drive
City : Salisbury
County : Rowan
State : North Carolina
Agency : Salisbury Police Department
Officer(s) : B.W. Jones
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Pedestrian killed after being struck by speeding police vehicle responding to emergency call
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR POLICE RESPONSE: officers speeding to a mental health call.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/18/2021 just after 1:00 a.m., Howard Miller, 59, of East Spencer was a pedestrian on Old Concord Road near Gold Hill Drive when Salisbury Police Officer B.W. Jones struck him with his patrol vehicle. Jones was traveling eastbound on Old Concord Road while responding to an attempted suicide call. Miller was critically injured and transported to Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem. He died from his injuries on 05/21/2021.
.
The collision was captured by Jones's active in-car camera. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol conducted the independent crash investigation to determine whether criminal charges were warranted, while the Salisbury Police Department announced a separate internal review for possible policy violations. Jones also underwent drug and alcohol screening after the collision.
.
Miller was born in Rowan County on 04/26/1962, attended Salisbury High School and was a member of Jerusalem Baptist Church. He had worked for JPI of Salisbury and was known for doing handyman work. He was survived by his wife, Kathy Mills Miller, his mother, children and stepchildren.
.
The public record I could locate does not document criminal charges against Jones, discipline arising from the collision, a civil lawsuit or settlement.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
B.W. Jones joined the Salisbury Police Department in May 2018 and was assigned to Baker Team. At the time of Miller's death, the department reported that Jones had no previous vehicle crashes or disciplinary issues.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://salisburync.gov/Government/Police/ArtMID/1572/ArticleID/3189/Salisbury-Police-officer-involved-in-pedestrian-accident-on-Old-Concord-Road
https://salisburync.gov/Government/Police/ArtMID/1572/ArticleID/3193/Pedestrian-struck-by-Salisbury-Police-officer-has-died
https://www.salisburypost.com/2021/05/26/pedestrian-struck-by-salisbury-police-officer-dies/
https://www.wbtv.com/2021/05/18/pedestrian-struck-injured-by-salisbury-police-officer-responding-call/
https://www.wbtv.com/2021/05/26/update-pedestrian-stuck-by-police-car-has-died/
https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/pedestrian-struck-salisbury-police-officer-died/275-d0397b57-8dba-49f6-9673-57cf1ab67f14
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/pedestrian-hospitalized-after-being-hit-by-officer-responding-call/ISIMOKICWZHX7DKRAX7LCBHB6Q/
https://www.wccbcharlotte.com/2021/05/18/salisbury-police-officer-hits-pedestrian-with-patrol-car-while-responding-to-call/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/salisburypost/name/howard-miller-obituary?id=9628453

Marcus "Marc the Barber" Jeffries
Age :43
Gender :Male
Race : Black
Date : 05/16/2021
Location : Chesapeake Avenue and Seaboard Avenue
City : Chesapeake
County : Chesapeake
State : Virginia
Agency : Chesapeake Police Department
Officer(s) : Not disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
REASON FOR CHASE: Suspected impaired driving
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/16/2021 at approximately 2:14 a.m., Marcus “Marc the Barber” Jeffries, 43, was driving home after leaving a nightclub in Chesapeake. Jeffries was a well-known barber in the South Norfolk community. His wife, Veneeca Jeffries, said Marcus called her shortly before the crash and told her he was on his way home.
.
Chesapeake police officers observed Jeffries driving near Berkley Avenue and Campostella Road and alleged his vehicle was being driven erratically. Police said they believed he might be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and attempted to stop him near Liberty Street and Old Atlantic Avenue. Jeffries continued driving and police initiated a pursuit through surrounding residential streets.
.
Police said Jeffries increased his speed as the pursuit continued down Old Atlantic Avenue and onto Ohio Street. Officers later claimed they slowed and began losing sight of his vehicle. In a later account, police said they lost sight of the vehicle because it was smoking. The available reporting does not establish a reliable maximum pursuit speed, total distance or duration.
.
Jeffries crossed the railroad tracks on Chesapeake Avenue at high speed, lost control and crashed into a utility pole near Ardmore Circle and Seaboard Avenue. The impact severely crushed the vehicle and Jeffries was killed at the scene.
.
Jeffries' widow disputed part of the police account. Veneeca Jeffries acknowledged that Marcus fled from police and said he had alcohol in his system, but questioned whether police had actually fallen far enough behind to characterize the pursuit as effectively over. She provided WTKR with residential doorbell-camera footage that showed police vehicles still trailing Jeffries during the pursuit. She said her concern was not denying Marcus' decision to flee but determining whether Chesapeake police followed appropriate pursuit policies and whether another family could be spared a similar death.
.
The family retained consultant Earl Lewis, who said the family still did not know what happened that night despite receiving a Chesapeake Police Department report approximately six months after Jeffries' death. Veneeca Jeffries requested police body-camera footage through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Chesapeake police told WTKR they had body-camera footage but no dash-camera video and said the case remained open as of November 2021.
.
WTKR reported that Chesapeake police policy left pursuit decisions largely to officer discretion with supervisory oversight and required the need to apprehend a driver to outweigh the danger created by the pursuit. The station identified six Chesapeake police pursuits between May and July 2021, three of which resulted in deaths, placing Jeffries' death within a cluster of fatal pursuits in the city during that period.
.
No publicly searchable court record or later reliable reporting located documents a wrongful-death lawsuit or settlement arising from Jeffries' death.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Chesapeake Police Department did not publicly identify the officers who attempted to stop Jeffries or participated in the pursuit.
SOURCE LINKS :

Jessica Bingaman
Age :43
Gender :Female
Race : White
Date : 05/13/2021
Location : Goshen Avenue and Demaree Street
City : Visalia
County : Tulare
State : California
Agency : Visalia Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office
Officer(s) : Maxwell Schroeder; Officer Zeiden
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Stolen vehicle
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/07/2019, Jessica “Jessie” Bingaman, 41, was working as a professional dog walker and trainer and was transporting six dogs for their regular “pack walk” in her Ford Escape. Bingaman owned The Pawtenders, a Long Beach dog-walking, training and pet-care business, and was the mother of a 10-year-old daughter. She had picked up six dogs identified in later court records as Scout, Maggie Moo, Indy, Toots, Sasha and Bell.
.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., Long Beach Police Officer Maxwell Schroeder was dispatched after an automated license plate reader detected a stolen white Nissan van near 937 East 2nd Street. Schroeder located the unoccupied van and, rather than immediately recovering it, surveilled it for approximately an hour in an effort to apprehend whoever returned to it. Javier Olivarez Jr. subsequently entered the van and drove away. Schroeder followed him.
.
Schroeder testified that after the van accelerated to approximately 20 mph above the speed limit, he activated his emergency lights and siren. Olivarez continued driving, beginning the pursuit. The van failed to stop at three stop signs and accelerated to more than 65 mph through a residential area where the speed limit was 25 mph. Prosecutors later presented evidence that Olivarez reached approximately 68 to 70 mph.
.
Bingaman had stopped at the stop sign on Temple Avenue and was proceeding through the intersection at East 3rd Street when Olivarez entered the intersection without stopping and broadsided her Ford Escape at high speed. The collision was so violent that Bingaman's driver's seat was pushed toward the center console and a wheel and axle were torn from the vehicle and thrown across the street into a wall. The wreckage also struck and damaged several parked vehicles. Witnesses compared the sound of the collision to an explosion.
.
Bingaman sustained catastrophic injuries, including fractured ribs and pelvis, collapsed lungs, a torn liver with internal bleeding and a skull hemorrhage. Firefighters used rescue equipment to free her from the wreckage. She was transported to a hospital and died from blunt torso trauma caused by the collision.
.
Four of the six dogs in Bingaman's vehicle died at the scene. Long Beach Police Detective Chad Manis removed the two surviving dogs, Sasha and Bell, and transported them for emergency veterinary treatment. Sasha had severe internal bleeding and no air in her lungs and could not be resuscitated. Bell survived with lacerations requiring sutures. Five dogs therefore died in the crash and one survived.
.
Officer Schroeder and another Long Beach officer identified in the later appellate record only as Officer Zeiden pulled Olivarez from the van after the crash. Olivarez suffered minor injuries. Police recovered methamphetamine and glass pipes from the van. Testing later showed 1,192 nanograms per milliliter of methamphetamine and 207 nanograms per milliliter of amphetamine in his blood.
.
Bingaman's death generated immediate criticism of the decision to conduct a high-speed pursuit of a stolen vehicle through a residential neighborhood. More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil at the crash site, bringing flowers, candles and dogs. Neighbors publicly questioned why police were pursuing a stolen vehicle at approximately 60 to 70 mph through residential streets. Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna personally apologized to Bingaman's mother at the vigil.
.
In November 2019, Bingaman's mother, DonAnn Lawson, filed a wrongful-death claim against the City of Long Beach on behalf of Bingaman's 11-year-old daughter. The claim alleged that Long Beach police shared responsibility for the death and specifically argued that police knew Olivarez from his extensive previous contacts with law enforcement but nevertheless pursued him. Police said Olivarez had previously been arrested approximately 20 times. The department disclosed that an Internal Affairs investigation was underway examining officers' decisions and tactics during the pursuit.
.
Friends and community members raised more than $40,000 after Bingaman's death to establish a college fund for her daughter and a pet-rescue fund in Bingaman's memory. Her death also became part of local advocacy demanding restrictions on Long Beach police pursuits of people wanted for nonviolent offenses.
.
Olivarez's criminal prosecution continued for four years. At his May 2023 trial, Officer Schroeder testified about his surveillance of the stolen van and his decision to initiate the pursuit. Prosecutors argued that Olivarez knowingly drove at extreme speed through residential streets and stop signs while impaired by methamphetamine. A jury convicted him of second-degree murder, fleeing a pursuing peace officer causing death, driving or taking a vehicle without consent, and six counts of animal cruelty.
.
On 10/18/2023, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Goul sentenced Olivarez to an aggregate term of 49 years to life in state prison. The sentence included 30 years to life for Bingaman's second-degree murder, additional consecutive terms for the stolen vehicle and animal-cruelty convictions, and a five-year enhancement for a prior serious felony. Olivarez apologized to Bingaman's family during sentencing and attributed his actions to drug use.
.
Olivarez appealed his convictions, arguing in part that jurors should have received instructions on gross vehicular manslaughter offenses and challenging portions of the animal-cruelty sentences. On 11/12/2025, the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, affirmed the judgment, leaving his convictions and sentence intact.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Maxwell Schroeder was the Long Beach Police Department officer who surveilled the stolen van, followed Olivarez and initiated the pursuit. Schroeder joined the department in 2016. In 2021, LBPD reassigned and then suspended him after evidence surfaced connecting him to racist, antisemitic and other prejudiced electronic messages associated with the wider Torrance Police Department racist-text scandal. LBPD also announced that it was reviewing Schroeder's previous use-of-force incidents and arrest reports.
.
The investigation ultimately resulted in Schroeder's termination from the Long Beach Police Department on 02/24/2022.
.
The second officer identified in the appellate decision is Officer Zeiden, who helped Schroeder remove Olivarez from the wrecked van and subsequently searched him. The appellate record does not provide Zeiden's first name.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 5 animal fatalities
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.longbeach.gov/police/archive-news-releases/2019/pursuit-with-traffic-fatality---3rd-street-and-temple-avenue/
https://lbpost.com/news/crime/dogs-killed-police-pursuit-temple-3rd/
https://lbpost.com/news/crime/when-should-police-pursue-woman-5-dogs-are-just-the-latest-killed-in-high-speed-chases
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/vigil-long-beach-mother-killed-pursuit-crash/
https://lbpost.com/news/pursuit-killed-wrongful-death-claim-dogs-bingaman/
https://lbpost.com/news/crime/murder-conviction-driver-crash-dogs-walker-jessica-bingaman/
https://lbpost.com/news/family-asks-judge-for-max-sentence-for-man-who-killed-dog-walker-in-high-speed-pursuit/
https://lbpost.com/news/crime/man-gets-49-to-life-sentence-for-killing-dog-walker-and-5-dogs-as-he-fled-from-police/
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/6915d7c4da48959f543b226d
https://da.lacounty.gov/sites/default/files/press/051519_Charges_Filed_in_Long_Beach_Pursuit_Which_Ended_with_Death_of_Woman_Five_Dogs.pdf

Trashawn Blake Harrison
Age :15
Gender :Male
Race : Black
Date : 05/10/2021
Location : U.S. Highway 167 near Louisiana Highway 749
City : Opelousas
County : St. Landry
State : Louisiana
Agency : Louisiana State Police
Officer(s) : Not disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Speeding
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/10/2021 shortly before 2:00 a.m., Trashawn Blake Harrison, 15, of Abbeville was one of four juvenile passengers riding in a Ford Explorer traveling north on U.S. Highway 167 near Louisiana Highway 749 in St. Landry Parish. Louisiana State Police later determined that the Explorer had been stolen from within the Abbeville city limits several hours earlier. Police did not report knowing that the vehicle was stolen when the pursuit began.
.
A Louisiana State Police trooper observed the Explorer traveling at high speed and attempted a traffic stop. Police alleged the juvenile driver continued driving and the trooper initiated a pursuit. Severe storms were moving through Acadiana at the time. State Police said the combination of the Explorer's unsafe speed and the inclement weather became sufficiently dangerous that police alleged they discontinued the pursuit. The available public record does not provide a reliable maximum speed, pursuit distance or duration.
.
A short time after police alleged they discontinued the pursuit, the trooper encountered the wrecked Explorer. The vehicle had left U.S. 167, struck a parked vehicle, overturned and then struck a utility pole before coming to rest. Harrison was ejected from the Explorer and died at the scene.
.
Three other juvenile passengers were transported to area hospitals with moderate injuries. State Police said Harrison and the three injured passengers were not wearing seat belts. The juvenile driver fled the crash scene on foot.
.
Eight days after the crash, the juvenile driver surrendered at Louisiana State Police Troop I and was booked into the Lafayette Juvenile Detention Center. The driver was charged with negligent homicide, hit-and-run, illegal possession of stolen things, three counts of negligent injuring, flight from an officer, speeding, driving without a license and reckless operation. Because the driver was a juvenile, authorities did not publicly release the driver's identity.
.
Harrison was remembered by his family as “Blake.” His funeral was held on 05/22/2021 at Fletcher Funeral Home in Abbeville, followed by burial at St. Paul Cemetery.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Louisiana State Police did not publicly identify the trooper who attempted the traffic stop and initiated the pursuit.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://kpel965.com/abbeville-teenager-dies-after-police-chase-crash-during-stormy-weather/
https://www.katc.com/news/st-landry-parish/stolen-vehicle-crashes-killing-teenage-passenger-juvenile-driver-sought-by-police
https://www.katc.com/news/st-landry-parish/update-juvenile-driver-in-fatal-stolen-car-crash-booked
https://kpel965.com/juvenile-driver-arrested-in-death-of-abbeville-teenager-following-police-chase/
https://www.wbrz.com/news/juvenile-suspect-on-the-run-after-crashing-stolen-car-leaving-15-year-old-dead
https://www.fletcherfuneralhomes.org/obituary/7463536
https://www.gueydantoday.com/obituaries/trashawn-blake-harrison
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/trashawn-harrison-obituary?id=5545960

Hunter Alan Robinson
Age :22
Gender :Male
Race : White
Date : 05/10/2021
Location : Unknown
City : Madison
County : Jefferson
State : Indiana
Agency : Jefferson County Sheriff's Department
Officer(s) : James T. Webster
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Skateboarder/bystander killed after being struck by off-duty deputy driving department vehicle
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR POLICE DRIVING: Off duty — no emergency response
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/10/2021 shortly before 10:00 p.m., Hunter Alan Robinson, 22, was riding a skateboard westbound on Clifty Drive near Rose Street in Madison when he was struck by a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department vehicle driven by off-duty Deputy James T. Webster, 51. Webster was also traveling westbound and was driving his department-issued 2016 Ford Explorer. Robinson sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office.
.
Indiana State Police assigned Trooper Andrew Garrett of the Versailles District Crash Reconstruction Team to investigate the collision. Investigators also sought the driver of a light-colored SUV or crossover that they believed might have witnessed or otherwise had information about the crash. State Police initially reported that drugs and alcohol were not suspected as contributing factors.
.
Robinson was born in Madison on 02/13/1999 and lived in Vevay, Indiana. He was 22 when he was killed.
.
Later publicly searchable records do not show Webster leaving the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department as a result of Robinson's death. County employment records identify James T. Webster as a sheriff's deputy before the collision and continue to list James T. Webster as a Jefferson County merit deputy in 2024 and 2025.
.
I found no reliable public record documenting criminal charges against Webster, a wrongful-death lawsuit or settlement arising from Robinson's death, or a public protest by Robinson's family.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
James T. Webster was a Jefferson County sheriff's deputy and was off duty when he struck Robinson while driving his department-issued Ford Explorer. Public county employment records show Webster remained employed by Jefferson County in subsequent years and was listed as a merit deputy in 2024 and 2025.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/INPOLICE/bulletins/2d8bd0a?utm_

Justin Anaya
Age :
Gender :Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 05/09/2021
Location : Interstate 40 eastbound, west of Coors Boulevard
City : Albuquerque
County : Bernalillo
State : New Mexico
Agency : Albuquerque Police Department
Officer(s) : Not disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Pedestrian killed by vehicle while fleeing police on foot
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Report of throwing rocks at vehicles
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/09/2021 at approximately 10:45 p.m., Justin Anaya was near a hotel at Iliff Road and Coors Boulevard in west Albuquerque when Albuquerque police officers approached him after a person reported that a man was throwing rocks at vehicles in the hotel parking lot. APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said officers had already been working proactively in the area when they were flagged down and directed to Anaya.
.
Anaya ran from the officers on foot. Police said he fled north, climbed or crossed several fences and reached Interstate 40. He entered the eastbound lanes west of Coors Boulevard and was struck by a civilian vehicle while attempting to cross the interstate. Anaya died at the scene.
.
APD's Motors Unit investigated the traffic collision. Because Anaya died while actively fleeing APD officers, the Multi-Agency Task Force also opened an in-custody death investigation into the police encounter.
.
I found no subsequent public report documenting criminal charges or discipline against the officers, or a civil settlement arising from Anaya's death.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Albuquerque Police Department did not publicly identify the officers who pursued Anaya on foot.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://apnews.com/article/albuquerque-7bdb3ea37fc5ce987f7cfdbbfd8c32c4
https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/apd-pedestrian-fatally-struck-by-vehicle-after-throwing-rocks-at-cars-fleeing-police/
https://www.koat.com/article/man-killed-i40-unser-pedestrian-crash/38264507

Ricky G. Cruz
Age :28
Gender :Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 05/09/2021
Location : US-395 and Foster Wells Road
City : Pasco
County : Franklin
State : Washington
Agency : Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On May 9, 2021, deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office pursued a car driven by Ricky G. Cruz, 28, in the northbound lanes of U.S. 395 near Pasco, Washington. As Cruz approached the intersection with Foster Wells Road, he crossed into the southbound lanes of the highway and collided head-on with an oncoming semi-truck. Both Cruz and his passenger, Karlie Moore, 23, were killed in the crash.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 2 Fatalities
SOURCE LINKS :
https://komonews.com/news/local/police-chase-ends-in-deadly-crash-near-pasco-in-eastern-wash

Karli Elizabeth Moore
Age :23
Gender :Female
Race : White
Date : 05/09/2021
Location : US-395 and Foster Wells Road
City : Pasco
County : Franklin
State : Washington
Agency : Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Officer(s) : Deputy Mona Bolanos; Deputy Jack Dodson
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Suspicious vehicle complaint
.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/09/2021 at approximately 3:40 p.m., Karli Elizabeth Moore, 23, was sitting in the front passenger seat of a Hyundai Elantra parked on her family's property on Foster Wells Road outside Pasco. A caller reported the Elantra and another vehicle as suspicious and speculated that the occupants might be using or dealing drugs. Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy Mona Bolanos was dispatched to investigate. Police had not established that a crime had occurred.
.
Bolanos approached the Elantra and reported that driver Ricky G. Cruz-Perez, 28, accelerated away as she reached his window. Deputy Jack Dodson approached from the opposite direction, turned around and joined Bolanos in pursuing the Elantra west on Foster Wells Road. Dodson activated his emergency lights and siren.
.
The pursuit covered approximately three miles. Deputies reported that Cruz-Perez drove into the opposing lane, nearly struck vehicles head-on and reached more than 100 mph. As the Elantra approached U.S. 395, both deputies said they slowed significantly, but Cruz-Perez ran the stop sign and entered the highway directly in front of a southbound tractor-trailer. The semi struck the passenger side where Moore was sitting, killing her at the scene.
.
Cruz-Perez was critically injured, transported first to Kadlec Regional Medical Center and then flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, where he died from his injuries. Semi driver Harold Matuterivera, 40, was not injured. The pursuit therefore resulted in two deaths.
.
Karli was born in Kennewick and grew up in Pasco. As a child she was selected for an advanced academic program and later earned high-school and college credits while still in middle school. Her family remembered her as an avid reader who loved animals, music, calligraphy, milkshakes and baking; she had a particular bond with her dog Percy Purse and was described as a “dog whisperer.”
.
Karli's father, Joe Moore Jr., publicly challenged the decision to pursue. He had left the property to buy his daughter a milkshake and returned to find the aftermath of the crash, initially not knowing Karli was the passenger who had been killed. Three months later, he said the day continually replayed in his mind and questioned how a call about a suspicious vehicle had ended with his daughter's death.
.
At Sheriff Jim Raymond's request, the Washington State Patrol Major Accident Investigation Team conducted an independent investigation. Records subsequently released under Washington's Public Records Act identified Bolanos and Dodson and showed that deputies pursued the Elantra from the Moore property to Highway 395. The investigation was to be forwarded to the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office for review.
.
No later public record located documents a wrongful-death lawsuit or settlement filed by Moore's family.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Deputy Ramona “Mona” Bolanos initiated the encounter and Deputy Jack Leo Dodson joined the pursuit. Bolanos had previously participated in a 2018 vehicle pursuit involving people wanted in an armed robbery; that pursuit included attempted PIT maneuvers and ended with arrests. Dodson had joined the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in August 2019 and, one month before Moore's death, was named the department's Deputy of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2021. County records show Dodson remained a Franklin County deputy after Moore's death and was still employed by the county in subsequent years.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://komonews.com/news/local/police-chase-ends-in-deadly-crash-near-pasco-in-eastern-wash
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/crime/article251289824.html
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/crime/article253124273.html
https://elkhornmediagroup.com/pursuit-ends-with-fatality/
https://newstalk870.am/car-pursued-by-deputy-before-fatal-395-crash-north-of-pasco/
https://newstalk870.am/driver-in-highway-395-foster-wells-road-crash-dies-in-spokane/

Kondwani Rogers
Age :29
Gender :Male
Race : Black
Date : 05/08/2021
Location : North Frederick Pike and VA-37
City : Winchester
County : Frederick
State : Virginia
Agency : Frederick County Sheriff’s Office
Officer(s) : Deputy R.W. Marcelle
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
.
REASON FOR CHASE: Reckless driving
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NARRATIVE:
On 05/08/2021 shortly before 8:00 p.m., Kondwani Rogers, 29, of Frederick County was driving a 2003 Cadillac south on Martinsburg Pike (U.S. 11) when Frederick County Sheriff's Deputy R.W. Marcelle observed the Cadillac near Welltown Road. The Sheriff's Office alleged Rogers was driving recklessly, passing vehicles on the shoulder and traveling at speeds exceeding 100 mph. Marcelle activated his emergency lights and siren and pursued Rogers toward Winchester. (winchesterstar.com)
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Rogers continued south before turning onto North Frederick Pike (U.S. 522). Police alleged he continued driving at more than 100 mph and crossed into opposing traffic. Near Route 37, the Cadillac sideswiped a Honda Civic and then collided head-on with a Chevrolet Trailblazer. The Cadillac overturned and caught fire. Rogers was trapped inside and pronounced dead at the scene. (winchesterstar.com)
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The Trailblazer driver was transported to Winchester Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The Honda driver declined medical treatment. The collision closed North Frederick Pike for several hours while Virginia State Police reconstructed the crash. (winchesterstar.com)
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Rogers was a Winchester-area father and was survived by his children and extended family. Family and friends remembered him after his death as “Wani.”
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The Virginia State Police investigated the fatal collision rather than the Frederick County Sheriff's Office. No publicly documented criminal charge against Marcelle, disciplinary action, wrongful-death lawsuit or civil settlement arising from Rogers' death was located in subsequent reporting.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Deputy R.W. Marcelle was identified by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office as the deputy who initiated the pursuit. Marcelle was an experienced Frederick County deputy who had previously appeared in public records involving traffic enforcement and criminal investigations. No verified prior fatal shooting or fatal pursuit involving Marcelle was located.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.winchesterstar.com/winchester_star/multi-vehicle-crash-leaves-one-dead-after-pursuit/article_4f78c562-03c2-5984-8b1f-7cff03c92dce.html
https://www.facebook.com/WinchesterStarVA/posts/a-frederick-county-man-died-saturday-night-after-a-high-speed-pursuit-with-a-fre/10159439038817985/

Luis Felipe Mejia-Salgado
Age :23
Gender :Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 05/02/2021
Location : W Wyatt Earp Boulevard & Matt Down Road
City : Dodge City
County : Ford
State : Kansas
Agency : Gray County Sheriff’s Office; Ford County Sheriff’s Office; Dodge City Police Department
Officer(s) : Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR CHASE: Wanted in connection with stabbing
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NARRATIVE:
On 05/02/2021, Luis Felipe Mejia-Salgado, 23, of Garden City was driving east on U.S. Highway 50 near Cimarron when a Gray County sheriff's deputy located his vehicle. Authorities were looking for Mejia-Salgado in connection with a stabbing in Garden City. The deputy attempted to stop him and a pursuit began, continuing east from Gray County into Ford County and Dodge City.
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Ford County law enforcement joined the pursuit. Officers deployed a tire-deflation device west of Dodge City, damaging Mejia-Salgado's tires, but he continued driving into the city. The available reporting does not establish a reliable maximum pursuit speed or total distance beyond documenting that the chase began near Cimarron and continued into Dodge City.
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In Dodge City, Mejia-Salgado lost control, left the roadway and struck a power pole. His vehicle rolled several times and he was ejected. He sustained critical injuries and died from those injuries on 05/02/2021.
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Mejia-Salgado was born in Guerrero, Mexico, on 12/31/1997 and spent his childhood and school years there before moving to the United States in 2018. He worked at Tyson Foods in Garden City and enjoyed playing video games. He was survived by his mother, stepfather, two sisters and extended family; following his funeral in Dodge City, his family planned to return his remains to Mexico for burial.
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Ford County Sheriff Bill Carr said the pursuit and fatal crash remained under investigation in the days following Mejia-Salgado's death. No later public reporting located documents criminal charges against participating officers, a civil lawsuit or settlement, or a public family challenge to the pursuit.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Gray County and Ford County sheriff's offices did not publicly identify the deputies who initiated or participated in the pursuit.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.kwch.com/2021/05/02/one-dead-in-dodge-city-crash-following-police-chase/
https://www.dodgeglobe.com/story/news/crime/2021/05/02/vehicle-chase-ends-fatal-crash-dodge-city/4932022001/
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/man-dies-in-dodge-city-after-crash-while-fleeing-officers
https://salinapost.com/posts/a4996a5c-2baf-4400-9f1d-44713612cece
https://www.t95.com/2021/05/07/garden-city-stabbing-suspect-killed-in-crash-during-chase/
https://www.swaimfuneralhome.com/guestbook/luis-mejia-salgado

David Earle Hartenstein
Age :39
Gender :Male
Race : White
Date : 05/02/2021
Location : NH-101
City : Candia
County : Rockingham
State : New Hampshire
Agency : New Hampshire State Police, Raymond Police Department, Candia Police Department
Officer(s) : Unknown
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR CHASE: Wrong-way driving
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NARRATIVE:
On 05/02/2021 at approximately 1:44 a.m., David Hartenstein, 39, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, was driving a blue 2003 Ford Escape north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 93 in Salem when a New Hampshire State Police trooper encountered him coming head-on. Troopers attempted to stop Hartenstein while simultaneously establishing rolling roadblocks to keep motorists out of his path.
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Hartenstein continued north in the wrong direction and repeatedly drove toward and around troopers attempting to stop him. Police deployed spike strips, but the attempts to deflate his tires were unsuccessful. Troopers continued ahead of the Ford Escape, stopping traffic where possible as Hartenstein traveled approximately 30 miles through southern New Hampshire.
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At the Route 101 split in Manchester, Hartenstein entered Route 101 and continued east in the westbound lanes. Near mile marker 105.6 in Candia, the Ford Escape left the highway and crashed into trees in the woods. Troopers located the wrecked vehicle a short time later and Hartenstein was pronounced dead at the scene. No other motorists were reported injured despite the prolonged wrong-way incident.
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New Hampshire State Police Troop A investigated the fatal crash. Trooper P. Sankowich was publicly identified as the investigating trooper and sought witnesses to the incident. Public reporting does not identify the trooper who first encountered Hartenstein or the other troopers involved in the attempts to stop him.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
New Hampshire State Police did not publicly identify the trooper who first encountered Hartenstein or the other troopers who attempted to stop his vehicle.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.wmur.com/article/fitchburg-man-driving-the-wrong-way-on-route-101-killed-in-crash/36353628
https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/wrong-way-driver-from-massachusetts-dies-after-crashing-on-route-101-in-candia/article_b96d5f90-4d13-5a4d-bc19-9262353e8100.html
https://www.eagletribune.com/news/fitchburg-man-dies-in-wrong-way-crash-on-route-101-in-nh/article_502f69b8-abfd-11eb-ae60-370768d70f0a.html
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/02/metro/fitchburg-man-killed-wrong-way-nh-crash/
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/05/02/police-say-fitchburg-man-dies-after-n-h-interstate-wrong-way-chase/
https://patch.com/new-hampshire/salem-nh/wrong-way-massachusetts-driver-killed-route-101-crash-nh
https://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/local-news/2021/05/03/police-say-driver-dies-after-interstate-wrong-way-chase/

Berlynn Michele Matthews
Age :21
Gender :Female
Race : White
Date : 05/02/2021
Location : North Point Boulevard and Norris Lane
City : Dundalk
County : Baltimore
State : Maryland
Agency : Baltimore County Police Department
Officer(s) : Off-duty Officer William Collazo-Brown
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by off-duty police officer driving under the influence
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
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REASON FOR POLICE DRIVING: Off duty — returning from drinking at motorcycle club
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NARRATIVE:
On 05/02/2021 shortly after 2:00 a.m., Berlynn Michele Matthews, 21, was driving on North Point Boulevard with two friends when she encountered 34-year-old Joshua Day lying injured in the roadway. Day had just been struck by a Subaru while crossing the road. Matthews swerved to avoid him, pulled onto the shoulder with her hazard lights on and immediately got out to help, telling one of her passengers to call 911.
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While Matthews was standing near Day, off-duty Baltimore County Police Officer William Collazo-Brown, 24, approached southbound on a Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle after spending the night drinking at an Essex motorcycle club. Prosecutors later established that Collazo-Brown was under the influence of alcohol and speeding when he struck Matthews and also ran over Day. Both died at the scene. Collazo-Brown suffered minor injuries and declined medical treatment.
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Matthews' decision to stop was consistent with how friends remembered her. A friend told reporters that helping other people was characteristic of her. She was the daughter of David and Dawn Matthews and had a brother and sister. A fundraiser established for her funeral described her as having died while trying to save another person's life and raised more than $18,000.
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Police arrested Collazo-Brown and initially charged him with DUI-related offenses. His police powers were immediately suspended, and within days the Baltimore County Police Department announced that he was no longer employed by the department. Collazo-Brown had joined Baltimore County police in June 2019.
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The criminal case went to a three-day bench trial in Baltimore County Circuit Court in March 2023. Judge Michael Barranco found Collazo-Brown guilty on 13 of 16 counts, including two counts of criminally negligent manslaughter, driving under the influence, homicide by motor vehicle and negligent operation of a vehicle while under the influence. He was acquitted of the more serious negligent vehicular manslaughter counts requiring proof of gross negligence.
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On 07/07/2023, Barranco sentenced Collazo-Brown to five years incarceration with all but 18 months suspended, followed by three years of probation, with the first 18 months of probation under home detention.
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Berlynn's family publicly condemned the sentence as too lenient. Her father, David Matthews, said the family was devastated that Collazo-Brown would serve only 18 months for two deaths and emphasized that, as a police officer, Collazo-Brown had been trained to enforce the same impaired-driving laws he violated. Matthews and other family members addressed the court at sentencing.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
William Collazo-Brown joined the Baltimore County Police Department in June 2019. He was off duty when he killed Matthews and struck Day while driving under the influence. His police powers were suspended immediately after his arrest, and the department separated him from employment within days. His defense attorney later described his prior record as unblemished.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/20989239/Joshua-John-Day/
https://patch.com/maryland/dundalk/duty-officer-faces-dui-charges-after-hitting-people-police
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/2-killed-in-dundalk-pedestrian-crash-off-duty-police-officer-charged-with-dui/
https://demo.cms.oovvuu.com/2023/07/18/bs-md-co-william-collazo-brown-sentencing-20230718-rzxhw4fvtnb55hksb5b2r6qkmu-story-html/
https://accidentdatacenter.com/us/maryland/baltimore-md/dundalk/21/05/02/joshua-day-34-and-berlynn-matthews-21-both-dead-after-car-strikes-day-matthews-offers-aid-and-both
https://www.scottshellenberger.com/post/off-duty-baltimore-county-police-officer-guilty-of-criminally-negligent-manslaughter-in-deaths
https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/officer-fired-from-baltimore-co-police-after-allegedly-striking-killing-2-pedestrians
https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/off-duty-police-officer-charged-in-double-fatal-pedestrian-crash