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REASON FOR CHASE: California Highway Patrol Officer Paul Vue attempted to stop a driver for speeding on State Route 70 south of Oroville. The driver continued driving away while Vue pursued him south toward Marysville.

NARRATIVE:
On 01/16/2021, 55-year-old Dawn Loralee Ritter of Marysville was killed when a fleeing driver crashed into her Toyota Tacoma at B Street and 9th Street in Marysville during a California Highway Patrol pursuit.

Shortly after 11 p.m., CHP Oroville Officer Paul Vue attempted to stop a speeding driver on State Route 70 south of Oroville. The driver continued driving away and Vue pursued him toward Marysville.

The pursuit continued into Marysville. CHP Sergeant Howard joined the pursuit on B Street. Seconds after Howard joined, the fleeing driver entered the intersection of B Street and 9th Street against a red traffic signal and crashed into Ritter's Toyota Tacoma as she was completing a left turn from 9th Street.

The impact crushed the cab of Ritter's pickup. Ritter was killed instantly.

The fleeing driver abandoned his vehicle immediately after the collision and ran from the crash scene. California Highway Patrol officers, Marysville Police Department officers and Yuba County Sheriff's Office deputies established a perimeter and searched the surrounding neighborhood.

CHP Valley Air Division officers aboard helicopter H-24 located the driver as he jumped fences and ran through residential yards. The helicopter crew directed officers on the ground to his location on top of an apartment building, where officers took him into custody after a struggle.

Dawn Ritter was a longtime resident of the Yuba-Sutter area and a mother and grandmother. Born in Amarillo, Texas, on 03/03/1965, she spent part of her childhood in Spain and Germany as the daughter of a military family before her family settled in the Yuba-Sutter area. Her obituary described her as someone who loved crafting, baking, spontaneous road trips, panning for gold, picking fruit and, above all, spending time with her family. She was survived by her daughters and grandchildren.

DISPOSITION:
A Yuba County jury convicted the fleeing driver of second-degree murder, reckless evasion, fleeing the scene of a collision, possession of a firearm by a felon, resisting arrest, vandalism and driving on a suspended license. On 05/10/2023, he was sentenced to 21 years to life in state prison.

The pursuing CHP officers were not criminally charged for their role in initiating or continuing the pursuit.

OFFICER BACKGROUND:
CHP Oroville Officer Paul Vue initiated the traffic stop and pursuit. CHP Sergeant Howard subsequently joined the pursuit on B Street shortly before the fatal collision.

https://www.crimevoice.com/2023/03/22/man-found-guilty-in-death-of-yuba-county-woman/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/appealdemocrat/name/dawn-ritter-obituary?id=7098771
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/appealdemocrat/name/dawn-ritter-obituary?id=59470210

REASON FOR CHASE: Kent police attempted to stop the driver after an officer saw his vehicle rapidly leaving the area of a reported armed robbery at East Hill Market. Police said the description from that robbery was similar to the description from another reported armed convenience-store robbery approximately one hour earlier.
NARRATIVE:
On 01/16/2021, shortly after midnight, Kent Police Department officers responded to East Hill Market in the 23800 block of 108th Avenue SE after a store employee reported a robbery involving a handgun.

According to police, the man had been inside the market before approaching the counter, displaying a handgun and demanding money. Police said he left the store when customers entered. Responding officers believed his description was similar to that provided following another reported convenience-store robbery approximately one hour earlier, during which a store employee reported being threatened with a handgun.

A Kent police officer saw a vehicle rapidly leaving a nearby parking lot and attempted to stop it. The driver continued away from the officer and a police pursuit followed.

At approximately 12:37 a.m., the fleeing vehicle left 132nd Avenue SE and struck a tree at high speed. The driver was ejected from the vehicle. Officers and fire personnel attempted emergency medical treatment, but the 25-year-old Des Moines resident died at the scene.

The January 16 crash is documented in federal fatal-crash data as a single-vehicle fatal collision on 132nd Avenue SE in Kent at 12:37 a.m., involving one vehicle, one person and one fatality. The date, time, city, roadway, single-vehicle configuration and fatality correspond to the fatal pursuit crash reported by Kent police and contemporaneous news accounts.

Police reported that a handgun was found near the driver after the crash. Kent Police also stated that its preliminary review of surveillance video from the earlier reported robbery indicated that the person depicted was the same person who fled from officers before the fatal crash.

Kent Police reported that its preliminary investigation did not indicate that a police vehicle struck the fleeing vehicle before it left the roadway. Because the death occurred during a Kent Police pursuit, the department requested that the King County Sheriff's Office conduct an independent investigation of the collision.

The fatal collision is documented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the federal census of fatal motor-vehicle crashes occurring on public roadways in the United States.

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/suspected-armed-robber-dies-crash-after-fleeing-police/UAJ7U64HGRD2XODOMQZ43IFFDQ/
https://www.kentreporter.com/news/man-dies-in-single-vehicle-crash-fleeing-from-kent-police-after-robbery/
https://ilovekent.net/armed-robbery-suspect-killed-in-fatal-one-car-crash-after-fleeing-from-kent-police/
https://www.city-data.com/accidents/acc-Kent-Washington.html

On January 16, 2021, around 11 p.m., Michigan City police attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle that refused to stop. Police escalated a high-speed pursuit. Deputies from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office joined the chase. The vehicle crashed near U.S. 20 and Ohio Street. A male passenger was ejected and died at the scene. Officers detained the driver and another passenger. Investigators reported additional criminal charges against occupants of the fleeing vehicle. Public records available today do not identify the deceased passenger, and no officer names, charges, or discipline have been publicly released.

https://www.wndu.com/2021/01/17/1-dead-2-arrested-following-police-pursuit-in-michigan-city/
https://www.laportecountysheriff.com/news/police-pursuit-fatality-michigan-city/
https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/crime/2021/01/17/man-dies-after-police-pursuit-crash-in-michigan-city/43963629/ 

Just after midnight on January 16, 2021, Kent Police officers responded to a report of a robbery involving a firearm at the East Hill Market. The store clerk reported that an individual had been loitering before approaching the counter, pulling out a gun, and demanding money before leaving. Officers noted the description of the individual matched one from an earlier robbery at a nearby convenience store. A responding officer observed a vehicle rapidly leaving a nearby parking lot. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, initiating a pursuit. During the chase, the vehicle veered off the road at high speed and collided with a tree, resulting in the driver's death.

https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/medical-examiner/decedents?utm_ 

At approximately 11:32–11:40 p.m. Thursday, January 14, 2021, at the northbound 405 Roscoe Boulevard offramp, a vehicle crashed as a result of a police pursuit. The pursued vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree and caught fire. The 17-year-old male driver was the sole person reported killed. A female CHP officer suffered a leg injury while attempting to help him; she did not die.The California Highway Patrol had attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver did not stop and the pursuit ended when the car crashed and caught fire. The unidentified male teenage driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/high-speed-chase-ends-with-fiery-fatal-wreck-on-405-freeway-in-van-nuys/

On 01/13/2021, officers from the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office and Louisiana State Police pursued a vehicle on I-10 near the Louisiana Avenue exit in Lafayette, Louisiana. Police deployed spike strips, causing the vehicle to lose control and crash. A fatal explosion upon impact caused the car to become engulfed in flames, creating a large fireball.
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Dajun Mosely, age 20, was identified as the deceased passenger of the vehicle. The Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office and Louisiana State Police conducted a self-investigation into the crash and did not provide further details.
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DATE OF UPDATE: 12/25/2024

https://www.katc.com/news/police-chase-dajun-mosely-fatal-crash
https://www.wafb.com/news/iberiville-parish-chase-crash-fireball

On 01/13/2021, South Carolina Highway Patrol investigated a pedestrian traffic fatality when a vehicle bystander accidentally drove through the collision scene and struck the dead pedestrian, James Jackson, and continued driving. A South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper escalated a chase on North Road with lights and sirens. During the chase, Patricia Brickle, driving a Chevrolet, pulled out from the Citgo gas station and was struck by the trooper’s vehicle, killing her.

https://wach.com/news/local/driver-dies-after-hitting-tree-in-orangeburg-county-dragstrip-road-peach-street-neeses-south-carolina-highway-patrol-corners-office-chevy-equinox

https://accidentdatacenter.com/us/south-carolina/columbia-sc/24/09/21/two-people-killed-multi-vehicle-crash-i-26-orangeburg-county-south-carolina

On January 13, 2021, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) troopers and Oklahoma City Police Department officers escalated a chase of a stolen Lincoln Navigator up to 115 mph. The vehicle was driven by 17-year-old Vinnie Hamlet, the twin brother of Chris Hamlet, with Chris and a 17-year-old female passenger. Troopers used a Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI) maneuver, directly causing the SUV to flip multiple times and land in a field near Southwest 119th Street and South Meridian Avenue. Vinnie Hamlet was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Chris Hamlet and the female passenger sustained injuries but survived.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted an internal self-investigation. The findings were presented to the District Attorney's Office, which determined that the deadly pursuit was justified.

https://www.news9.com/story/603ed45b51aab70bdb736ab8/metro-teenager-comes-forward-after-surviving-deadly-ohp-pursuit-cras

https://kfor.com/news/local/ohp-car-pursuit-policies-are-challenged-after-mondays-death/
 

Emmanuel Martin Nyariel, 16, was killed when a stolen vehicle crashed after police initiated a high-speed pursuit. Officers began chasing the car after a report of vehicle tampering. The pursuit reached speeds over 100 mph before the vehicle lost control crossing railroad tracks, overturned multiple times, and landed in a parking lot. Three teens died in the crash, including Emmanuel, a Des Moines Public Schools student.

https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/three-des-moines-teens-killed-during-police-chase-identified
https://www.kcci.com/article/clive-iowa-police-identify-teens-involved-in-fatal-high-speed-pursuit-crash/35193938
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/three-dead-two-injured-in-high-speed-chase-through-clive/524-12dd60f9-1d46-4a37-be61-13eb13f50177

Majok Martin Nyariel, 14, was one of three teens killed during a high-speed police pursuit in Clive, Iowa. Police responded to a vehicle tampering report and pursued a stolen Chevrolet Malibu. The chase ended when the vehicle lost control and flipped repeatedly. Majok was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a student in the Des Moines Community School District.

https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/three-des-moines-teens-killed-during-police-chase-identified
https://www.kcci.com/article/clive-iowa-police-identify-teens-involved-in-fatal-high-speed-pursuit-crash/35193938
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/three-dead-two-injured-in-high-speed-chase-through-clive/524-12dd60f9-1d46-4a37-be61-13eb13f50177

Zacharia Warsame, 14, died when the stolen car he was riding in crashed during a police pursuit. Officers pursued the vehicle after spotting it in connection with a prior theft. It crashed at over 100 mph after crossing railroad tracks and flipping multiple times. Zacharia was one of three teens killed and was enrolled in Des Moines Public Schools.

https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/three-des-moines-teens-killed-during-police-chase-identified
https://www.kcci.com/article/clive-iowa-police-identify-teens-involved-in-fatal-high-speed-pursuit-crash/35193938
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/three-dead-two-injured-in-high-speed-chase-through-clive/524-12dd60f9-1d46-4a37-be61-13eb13f50177

On January 10, 2021, Chickasaw Police Officer Joseph Hand pursued a vehicle that crashed near Interstate 65 and Craft Highway in Chickasaw, killing 18-year-old Kenya Reed, a McIntosh High School senior, who was a passenger in the car. Reed’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, stating that Officer Hand’s conduct was part of “multiple cases” of reckless driving and pursuit behavior. Hand was later indicted for criminally negligent homicide in connection with Reed’s death. In a separate 2024 incident, while working for the Semmes Police Department, Hand was again accused of causing another catastrophic crash that left a passenger paralyzed.

https://www.mynbc15.com/news/local/family-of-18-year-old-killed-in-2021-crash-with-chickasaw-pd-officer-announces-lawsuits
https://www.fox10tv.com/2022/03/25/former-chickasaw-police-officer-indicted-after-2021-fatal-crash-that-killed-mcintosh-teen/
https://www.mynbc15.com/news/local/officer-accused-in-2021-fatal-crash-now-blamed-for-wreck-that-left-passenger-paralyzed

REASON FOR CHASE: Woodville Police pursued Johnson after the 2007 Dodge pickup truck he was driving was confirmed stolen out of Houston.

NARRATIVE:
On 01/08/2021, 25-year-old Mark Anthony Johnson of Houston was killed when he crashed a pickup truck on US 190 in Tyler County while fleeing a pursuit by Woodville Police Department officers.

At approximately 1:00 p.m., Johnson was driving a 2007 Dodge pickup truck eastbound on US 190. Authorities reported that the vehicle had been confirmed stolen out of Houston and that Woodville Police were pursuing Johnson.

Johnson was traveling at a high rate of speed on US 190 during the pursuit. According to the preliminary Texas Department of Public Safety crash investigation, Johnson attempted to pass another vehicle on the right and lost control of the pickup after entering the grass.

Johnson was unable to regain control. The pickup skidded across both the eastbound and westbound lanes of US 190, continued off the roadway and struck several large trees just east of County Road 3550.

The impact caused a small vehicle fire. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers extinguished the fire after arriving at the crash scene.

Johnson was the only person in the pickup and died at the scene.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers investigated the fatal crash. Woodville Police Department was the agency involved in the pursuit preceding Johnson's death.

https://www.ktre.com/2021/01/08/man-dies-after-driver-flees-woodville-police/

On January 8, 2021, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers pursued a stolen vehicle traveling north on U.S. Highway 69 near Warren. The driver, identified as 25-year-old Mark Anthony Johnson, refused to stop and continued at high speed. Police escalated a chase that ended when the vehicle crashed and caught fire. Pitre was pronounced dead at the crash site. The investigation determined the vehicle had been stolen earlier that day.

https://www.ktre.com/2021/01/08/man-dies-after-dps-chase-involving-stolen-vehicle/
https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_1c9fdc7a-518b-11eb-b2e5-7b2891ebed8d.html
https://www.kfdm.com/news/local/man-dies-after-stolen-vehicle-chase-crash-in-tyler-county

On the evening of 01/07/2025, the Baytown Police Department attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle (BMW) traveling at a high rate of speed on SH-146 near Alexander Drive. The driver refused to stop and a pursuit ensued. The chase crossed into Chambers County where deputies joined. Less than a mile later the fleeing vehicle collided head-on with another vehicle near Crystal Boulevard; the male driver of the fleeing vehicle was ejected and died at the scene, while the occupants of the other vehicle were treated for non‐life‐threatening injuries.

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/one-dead-after-police-chase-in-baytown-texas-15853064.php
https://abc13.com/baytown-police-chase-fatal-crash-highway-146/9609471/
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/01/07/driver-killed-after-police-chase-ends-in-crash-in-baytown/

On January 7, 2021, at approximately 3 a.m., a driver allegedly ran a stop sign at Atlantic Street and Minnehaha Avenue while driving a stolen Ford Focus at 61 mph in a 30-mph zone upon the driver spotting a St. Paul police officer focusing om him. The officer had noticed the stolen car, confirmed via license plate check that it was stolen the previous day, and escalated to chase that ended when the pursued vehicle crashed into bystander Alison Annen, killing her.

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/traffic-news/update-60-year-old-grandmother-identified-as-victim-in-fatal-hit-and-run-no-arrests/
https://www.startribune.com/charges-chronic-auto-thief-in-stolen-car-causes-crash-kills-other-driver-in-st-paul/600011358/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/repeat-car-thief-sentenced-crash-010700218.html

A deputy from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office was pursuing suspected car thieves when he drove his SUV in reverse, striking and killing pedestrian Barry Fick, 59. The incident occurred at the intersection of US-19 and Ulmerton Road in Largo, Florida.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/pinellas/2021/01/07/pinellas-deputy-fatally-strikes-pedestrian-while-reversing-in-road-sheriffs-office-says/ 

On January 3, 2021, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Suffolk County Police officers were pursuing Malcolm Stewart, 29, who was allegedly driving a 2014 Mercedes-Benz in Medford, New York. Stewart ran a red light during the chase, causing his vehicle to collide with a 2021 Chevrolet driven by James Palumbo, 56, at the intersection of County Road 101 and Station Road. The crash resulted in Palumbo’s death.
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The identities of the officers involved in the pursuit have not been disclosed by the Suffolk County Police Department.
Total Fatalities/Injuries:
1 Fatality (James Palumbo)

https://patch.com/new-york/medford-ny/man-killed-suffolk-crash-after-driver-runs-red-light-police
https://patch.com/new-york/shirley-mastic/guilty-plea-crash-killed-yaphank-man-da
https://newjersey.news12.com/police-man-arrested-on-drugs-weapons-charges-after-fatal-medford-crash
https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/nassau/police-fire/long-island-man-facing-drug-weapons-charges-following-fatal-crash/800747/
https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2021/08/01/driver-pleads-guilty-for-death-of-james-palumbo/
 

On 01/03/2021, a Charleston County Sheriff’s deputy was responding with lights and siren to a call shortly before midday when the patrol vehicle collided with a civilian car at the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and Beehive Road near Mount Pleasant. The deputy’s vehicle struck the civilian vehicle as it attempted to make a left turn. Sandra Eisner, 77, was among the occupants of the civilian car and died at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash. An 85-year-old passenger also died in the collision. The deputy involved was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Later reporting indicated the deputy was cited for driving too fast for conditions. Eisner’s estate accepted a settlement from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in a wrongful death lawsuit related to the crash.

• https://www.live5news.com/2024/05/21/charleston-co-sheriffs-office-offers-settlement-wrongful-death-lawsuit/
• https://abcnews4.com/news/local/man-and-woman-77-and-85-killed-in-crash-with-charleston-co-deputy
• https://www.live5news.com/2021/01/04/coroner-identifies-two-people-killed-car-crash-involving-charleston-co-deputys-vehicle/

On 01/03/2021, Sonny Brower was traveling on U.S. Highway 17 near Beehive Road in Mount Pleasant when a Charleston County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle struck his car. Authorities said the deputy was driving at a high rate of speed while responding to a reported domestic disturbance call. The patrol vehicle collided with the civilian vehicle, killing Brower at the scene. Sandra Eisner, a 77 year old woman traveling in the same vehicle, was also killed. The deputy survived and later received a traffic citation. Brower’s family pursued civil action related to the crash.

https://www.live5news.com/2021/01/04/coroner-identifies-two-people-killed-car-crash-involving-charleston-co-deputys-vehicle/
https://abcnews4.com/news/local/man-and-woman-77-and-85-killed-in-crash-with-charleston-co-deputy
https://www.live5news.com/2024/05/21/charleston-co-sheriffs-office-offers-settlement-wrongful-death-lawsuit/

NARRATIVE:
On 01/01/2021, 21-year-old Julianna Valle of Farmington was killed while riding as a passenger in a 2020 Toyota Highlander that crashed on Harrisburg Road in Craighead County near Jonesboro.

At approximately 8:15 p.m., the Highlander left the roadway, traveled up a ditch embankment, struck a utility pole and a brick fence, became airborne, and struck an apartment complex before coming to rest in the yard.

Valle was killed in the crash. The 28-year-old driver, another 24-year-old passenger, and two children were injured.

Available reporting identifies Arkansas State Police as the agency reporting the fatal crash but does not establish that police were pursuing the vehicle before it crashed.

https://asp-fatal.ark.org/summaries/2021
https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/a-closer-look/a-closer-look-arkansas-deadly-crashes-in-2021/

Around midnight, deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office responded to a home following a 911 call reporting a man threatening to shoot a woman and their 1-year-old son. The victim escaped to a neighbor's house, but the child remained inside the home with Amir Keita Stevens, 29, when deputies arrived. As deputies approached, Stevens fled the home, got into his car, and drove away. The child was unharmed. During the pursuit, Stevens lost control of his vehicle, ran off the road, and collided with an MCAT bus stop, a power pole, and two trees, resulting in his death.

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2021/01/02/one-dead-crash-after-speeding-off-manatee-county-deputies-friday-night/