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Missouri Highway Patrol escalated a chase to 95 mph against this driver for possible registration violation. The driver fled, made a sharp turn and the vehicle rolled over, ejecting the driver and a passenger. The driver died. The passenger landed on the roadway and was run over by a semi truck and was in critical condition at the crash site. Their survival is unknown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ46Lr6a2Rc

https://www.kctv5.com/2022/09/16/2-critically-injured-after-i-435-crash-north-gregory-boulevard-stemming-pursuit/

Ahlvers had been driving a truck stolen from Skyland Grain in Pratt Co. which had been in use to make deliveries. Police escalated a chase. Ahlvers intentionally drove toward the vehicle of Terrill Underwood who attempted to avoid the collision by driving off the highway but he was hit and killed. Ahlvers was also pronounced dead at the scene.

https://www.wibw.com/2022/09/15/two-dead-after-halstead-man-leads-police-chase-intentionally-hits-truck/

Ahlvers had been driving a truck stolen from Skyland Grain in Pratt Co. which had been in use to make deliveries. Police escalated a chase. Ahlvers intentionally drove toward the vehicle of Terrill Underwood who attempted to avoid the collision by driving off the highway but he was hit and killed. Ahlvers was also pronounced dead at the scene.

https://www.wibw.com/2022/09/15/two-dead-after-halstead-man-leads-police-chase-intentionally-hits-truck/

DamariusSentell Williams was chased by South Carolina troopers who felt the car he was driving was stolen. The chase escalated until he crashed and died at the scene of the crash in the 2500 block of Cooper Store Road. The chase had been escalated to 110 mph and the vehicle crashed against a tree, broke into 2 parts and Williams died.

https://wpde.com/news/local/car-split-into-2-driver-ejected-28-feet-after-deadly-high-speed-chase-involving-schp-berkeley-county-damarius-williams-cordesville-sc-cooper-store-road-wciv

A driver didn’t stop after troopers tried to pull them over for a traffic violation at Chatham and Veterans parkways for driving carelessly and was traveling north in the southbound lanes of Ogeechee Road before crashing at the I-516 interchange.
The male driver crashed into two other vehicles and died as a result of the crash. Police did not publicly identify him.

https://www.wtoc.com/2022/09/14/driver-killed-crash-after-leading-police-chase-driving-wrong-lanes/

A Virginia State Police Trooper in Campbell County on Route 29 attempted to stop a Suzuki GSXR 600 motorcycle for reckless driving. The motorcycle sped away. The trooper chased the motorcycle into Pittsylvania County, where the motorcycle crossed into the northbound lanes of Route 29 at a high rate of speed, when it struck a 2018 International tractor-trailer, head-on.James Lee Holley, 37, of Graham, N.C., was wearing his helmet and died at the scene.

https://www.chathamstartribune.com/news/article_4fc6dee0-34f7-11ed-af12-c7b36794c9d8.html

California Highway Patrol had attempted to stop a male who had been speeding at Mission Gorge Road and state Route 52 but he fled in a black Mercedes convertible at a high rate of speed, exceeding 100 mph. It continued speeding to an I-8 on-ramp before leaving the roadway and flipping upside down after hitting the curb.

https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2022/09/11/motorist-not-ex-sustained-in-crpected-to-survive-injuriesash-following-chp-pursuit/

REASON FOR CHASE: Stolen vehicle chase.
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NARRATIVE:
On 09/10/2022, 25-year-old Oscar Ronaldino Salvador of Virginia was killed when a stolen Dodge Challenger Hellcat crashed in the 7000 block of Allentown Boulevard/US Route 22 in West Hanover Township.
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Pennsylvania State Police said the Hellcat had been stolen in Delaware the previous night and had previously fled from troopers at high speed when they attempted a traffic stop. At approximately 5:20 a.m., the Hellcat left the roadway while traveling at high speed.
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Salvador and 24-year-old Waldir Adonay Hernandez-Monge were ejected and died at the scene. A third occupant, 28-year-old Elio Alarcon-Ozoia, was trapped in the wreckage and transported to Hershey Medical Center. State Police did not establish publicly which occupant was driving.
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Salvador was the father of a daughter, Isabella, and worked for Flattout Towing. A memorial for the two men was held the following day.

https://www.wgal.com/article/stolen-car-flees-troopers-crashes-killing-two-harrisburg-pennsylvania/41166358
https://dailyvoice.com/pennsylvania/dauphin/obituaries/virginia-dad-maryland-man-killed-in-pennsylvania-crash-involving-stolen-delaware-car/843446/

REASON FOR CHASE: Stolen vehicle.
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NARRATIVE:
On 09/10/2022, 24-year-old Waldir Adonay Hernandez-Monge of Maryland was killed when a stolen Dodge Challenger Hellcat crashed in the 7000 block of Allentown Boulevard/US Route 22 in West Hanover Township.
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Pennsylvania State Police said the Hellcat had been stolen in Delaware the previous night and had previously fled from troopers at high speed when they attempted a traffic stop. At approximately 5:20 a.m., the Hellcat left the roadway while traveling at high speed.
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Hernandez-Monge and 25-year-old Oscar Ronaldino Salvador were ejected and died at the scene. A third occupant, 28-year-old Elio Alarcon-Ozoia, survived. State Police did not publicly establish which occupant was driving.
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Hernandez-Monge was the eldest son of Rosa Alba Monge and Genaro Hernandez. His family described him as a young man with a big heart who was especially close to his younger brother and family. A fundraiser was established to help his parents with funeral and burial expenses.
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https://www.wgal.com/article/stolen-car-flees-troopers-crashes-killing-two-harrisburg-pennsylvania/41166358
https://dailyvoice.com/pennsylvania/dauphin/obituaries/virginia-dad-maryland-man-killed-in-pennsylvania-crash-involving-stolen-delaware-car/843446/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/waldir-hernandez

Maurice Taylor, 37, was chased at high speed by Capitol Police for allegedly driving recklessly and fast without a tag, refusing a traffic stop. Police escalated a chase until he crashed into an embankment surrounding a culvert. He died at the scene. The vehicle was stolen.

https://www.wlbt.com/2022/09/08/man-dies-crash-after-leading-capitol-police-pursuit-through-jackson/

REASON FOR CHASE: Chased by police during mental health crisis.
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NARRATIVE:
On 09/07/2022, a 50-year-old Connecticut woman was killed when her Ford Focus crashed into a utility pole during a Pennsylvania State Police pursuit in Chester Heights.
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At approximately 1 a.m., troopers found the running Ford in a Concord Township parking lot. A registration check showed that both the vehicle and driver had been reported missing and endangered in Connecticut. The woman was initially unresponsive inside the vehicle.
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Police said she awoke when troopers tapped on the window and appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis. She drove away, reversed into a State Police vehicle and traveled north in the southbound lanes toward oncoming traffic.
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Troopers continued following with emergency lights and sirens. The woman returned to the northbound lanes before crashing head-on into a utility pole on Valleybrook Road. She was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.

https://www.fox29.com/news/psp-missing-endangered-woman-connecticut-killed-police-chase-chester-heights
https://www.fox29.com/video/1115013

Linda Childs was killed when an officer's vehicle struck her in her car as she was attempting to cross the highway. It is unknown what the officer’s speed was and why this accident occurred. The officer was cleared.

https://www.wlbt.com/2022/09/07/71-year-old-corinth-woman-killed-wreck-with-state-trooper/

Robert James Samuel was chased by police on his motorcycle until he crashed and died. He had been chased for a traffic violation.

https://sanangelolive.com/news/crashes/2022-09-05/biker-dies-high-speed-crash-fleeing-attempted-traffic-stop-sunday

On 09/05/2022, 66-year-old Denise “Dee” Blidy was killed after being struck by a Burbank Police Department vehicle while riding her bicycle at Central Avenue and 77th Street in Burbank, Illinois. The collision occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. Blidy was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where she died from her injuries at approximately 9:10 p.m. that evening.
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Blidy was a retired licensed practical nurse and longtime Burbank resident who had also coached a local high-school swim team. Contemporary reporting did not identify the officer driving the police vehicle or provide a detailed account of how the collision occurred.
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A witness who came outside after hearing the collision told CBS Chicago that he saw Blidy on the ground and initially believed the officer was assisting her before realizing that the officer's vehicle had been involved. The witness also said he had previously complained to Burbank police about officers driving through the intersection's stop sign without emergency lights, although investigators had not established whether that occurred in Blidy's collision.
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The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Unit investigated the fatal collision. Burbank police placed the involved officer on administrative duty while the case was reviewed.
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Subsequent civil litigation identifies the officer as Kerry Sullivan. In September 2023, Blidy's estate filed a motor-vehicle wrongful-death action in Cook County Circuit Court naming the City of Burbank, Burbank Police Department and Officer Kerry Sullivan as defendants. Court records show the case was dismissed by stipulation or agreement on November 7, 2024.

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/bicyclist-dead-after-accident-involving-police-car-in-burbank/
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/bicyclist-dies-after-accident-with-police-car-in-burbank
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2022/9/7/23340671/bicyclist-dies-after-accident-with-police-vehicle-in-burbank
https://abc7chicago.com/post/burbank-police-illinois-il-crash/12207836/
https://patch.com/illinois/oaklawn/bicyclist-identified-fatal-crash-burbank-police-vehicle
https://trellis.law/case/17031/2023-l-008831/michael-blidy-estate-denise-a-blidy-deceased-vs-city-burbank-burbank-police-department-kerry-sullivan

REASON FOR CHASE: Police chased stolen vehicle, bystander killed.
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NARRATIVE:
On 09/04/2022, Ronaldo Del Real Gonzalez was killed when a stolen vehicle fleeing Webster police crashed into his vehicle at the Beltway 8 frontage road and Spencer Highway in Pasadena.
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Webster police attempted to stop the stolen vehicle, but the driver fled. Court reporting indicates the pursuit extended more than 16 miles and reached speeds exceeding 100 mph.
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As the pursuit approached the red light at Beltway 8 and Spencer Highway, police alleged they slowed and backed off while the fleeing vehicle continued through the intersection and crashed into three vehicles. Gonzalez suffered fatal injuries. Four other people were injured.
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Romero was arrested and charged with felony murder, felony evading arrest with a motor vehicle and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. His bond was set at $300,000.

https://www.fox26houston.com/news/teen-arrested-after-brief-chase-with-stolen-vehicle-in-webster-leads-to-deadly-majorcrash
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/webster-police-chase-crash-teen-suspect-bond
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2022/09/04/innocent-driver-in-major-crash-following-police-chase-involving-stolen-vehicle-in-pasadena-police-say/

Webster PD chased a teenager in a stolen car, escalated the chase to over 100 mph until the vehicle crashed into 3 other vehicles, killing 1 other third-party driver whose name was not released.

https://abc13.com/innocent-driver-killed-multivehicle-crash-webster-police-chase-pasadena/12196581/

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2022/09/04/innocent-driver-in-major-crash-following-police-chase-involving-stolen-vehicle-in-pasadena-police-say/

REASON FOR CHASE: Police chased someone else for fight with police when this bystander was killed in the police chase crash.
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NARRATIVE:
On 09/02/2022, 41-year-old Jonathan Denham of LaGrange was killed when a Dodge Durango fleeing Cobb County police struck his Honda Pilot head-on at Roosevelt Highway and Delano Road in South Fulton. Denham was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The pursuit began after Cobb County police alleged that the Durango nearly struck an officer who was on foot during a felony traffic stop on Interstate 285. Officers pursued the Durango into Fulton County.
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The Durango exited at Camp Creek Parkway and continued onto several roads before entering Roosevelt Highway. Police lost sight of it. The driver subsequently traveled on the wrong side of Roosevelt Highway and struck Denham's Honda head-on.
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Denham was driving home after visiting friends and family. He had called his wife shortly before midnight to tell her he was on his way. Denham and his wife had married on Valentine's Day earlier that year. He was the father of ten children and stepfather of two.

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https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/innocent-man-killed-in-highspeed-police-chase-mother-reacts
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/driver-leads-troopers-chase-that-leaves-one-dead-two-vehicle-crash/FVCWKY4WY5A5RO6DEG5NUO3L4A/
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/south-fulton-county/wife-innocent-driver-killed-during-police-chase-says-theres-no-excuse/JRZT2ACV7NHQLGJAIZUK77FU5Y/
https://cobbcountycourier.com/2022/09/uninvolved-motorist-killed-in-crash-during-cobb-county-police-pursuit-of-suspect/

REASON FOR CHASE: Not Disclosed.
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NARRATIVE:
On 09/01/2022, 53-year-old Lili Sanclur Hernandez of Donna was killed in a three-vehicle crash on FM 493 near Stites Road while another driver was fleeing law enforcement.
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A male driver in a black Nissan Altima was traveling south on FM 493 when he attempted a U-turn while evading law enforcement. The Nissan collided with a Saturn ION and a Toyota passenger vehicle.
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Hernandez was a passenger in the Saturn and died at the scene. Three other people in the Saturn were transported to hospitals. The drivers of the Nissan and Toyota were also hospitalized.
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Texas DPS investigated the fatal collision and confirmed that the Nissan driver was evading law enforcement when the crash occurred. The available reporting does not identify the pursuing agency or disclose the reason for the attempted stop. Information provided by FARS.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The law-enforcement agency and officer or officers involved in the pursuit were not publicly identified in the sources located.
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https://www.krgv.com/news/dps-vehicle-evading-law-enforcement-led-to-fatal-crash/
https://www.krgv.com/videos/dps-investigating-fatal-three-vehicle-crash-in-donna/

On 01/03/2022, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Officers Adam Earl and Matthew-Ryan Lerlo pursued a Jeep through north Charlotte during evening rush-hour traffic after initially focusing on the vehicle because its license plate was covered by a tinted or opaque cover. The Jeep eventually traveled the wrong way on Statesville Road and crashed head-on into a Honda carrying 29-year-old Brittany C. Webb and two other people. Webb suffered catastrophic injuries and died 18 days later, on 01/21/2022. Her family and the two survivors later sued Earl, Lerlo and the City of Charlotte, alleging that the officers conducted an unauthorized pursuit in direct violation of CMPD policy.
The case has changed substantially since the initial reporting. A 2024 lawsuit, followed by the 2025 public release of approximately five hours of body-camera and traffic-camera footage, provided evidence that challenged the characterization of the incident as simply a crash caused by a driver fleeing police. The recordings documented Earl and Lerlo's actions during the pursuit and captured other CMPD personnel questioning and criticizing their decision to chase.
According to the lawsuit, Earl and Lerlo had been following the Jeep through the Sugar Creek area before it entered Interstate 85. The officers ran the license plate and focused on an allegedly obscuring plate cover. The complaint alleges that there was no violent offense or other life-threatening crime that would have authorized a pursuit under CMPD's restrictive pursuit policy.
Earl and Lerlo attempted to stop the Jeep on I-85. When the driver continued driving away, the officers followed with emergency lights and sirens activated. Their in-car computer system repeatedly generated warnings telling them to watch their speed and slow down.
Police radio traffic is particularly significant. The later-released recordings indicate that a supervisor communicated that officers did not need to engage in a pursuit. According to the family's lawsuit and subsequent reporting, the officers nevertheless continued following the Jeep off I-85 and into residential streets.
The Jeep eventually reached a dead end on Julia Avenue and stopped. Earl and Lerlo got out of their police vehicle with their guns drawn. The Jeep then maneuvered away from them and drove back toward Statesville Road. The officers continued after it.
The family's attorney argues that this was the critical point at which police turned an alleged license-plate violation into a dangerous rush-hour pursuit. The lawsuit alleges that the officers knew or should have known CMPD policy did not permit a high-speed pursuit under these circumstances and that their continued pursuit created an unreasonable danger to motorists who had nothing to do with the attempted traffic stop.
As the pursuit reached Statesville Road, the Jeep traveled the wrong direction and collided head-on with the Honda in which Webb was a passenger. The impact severely injured all three people in the Honda.
Webb was unresponsive at the crash scene and suffered massive trauma, including a subdural hematoma with mass effect, rib and spinal fractures, a grade-four liver laceration, pelvic fractures and fractures to her arms and legs. Her condition was further complicated by strokes while she was hospitalized. She never recovered and died on 01/21/2022.
The other two people in the Honda survived but suffered serious injuries. Aaron Norward was placed in a medically induced coma and remained hospitalized for approximately a month. Whitney McKinney, who was driving the Honda, suffered extensive injuries and experienced a stroke the day after the collision. Both later joined Webb's estate in suing the officers and city.
Webb was a mother of two. Her family's later lawsuit emphasized that she had no connection whatsoever to the police encounter or the vehicle police were pursuing. She was simply a passenger traveling on Statesville Road when the pursuit entered her path.
On 01/17/2024, Webb's estate, represented by administrator Carol Willis, together with Norward and McKinney, filed suit in Mecklenburg County Superior Court against the City of Charlotte, Earl and Lerlo. The complaint alleges wrongful death, negligence and gross negligence and specifically characterizes the officers' actions as an unauthorized police chase.
The lawsuit quotes CMPD's own pursuit rules. Those rules permitted pursuits under limited circumstances involving crimes dangerous to life or specified serious offenses. The plaintiffs contend that an allegedly obscured license plate did not remotely satisfy those requirements.
The case became considerably stronger factually after video from the incident was released in June 2025. CMPD published 44 recordings from officer body cameras and nearby traffic cameras, amounting to roughly five hours of footage. The Charlotte Observer reviewed those recordings and found material that was not reflected in the department's initial public presentation of the crash.
One particularly revealing recording captured another CMPD officer arriving at the crash and reacting to what Earl and Lerlo had done. The officer called their actions "dumb" and referred to the Internal Affairs statements they would have to prepare. Another recording captured a supervisor questioning why the pursuit had occurred.
The recordings also provided direct evidence that Earl and Lerlo had actively attempted to stop the Jeep with emergency lights and sirens and followed it through multiple stages of the encounter, evidence relevant to the family's contention that this was a police pursuit rather than merely officers happening to travel behind the vehicle.
The lawsuit further alleges that CMPD internally disciplined both officers. The complaint states that Earl and Lerlo were suspended over their conduct in connection with the pursuit and related events.
The civil case remains active. Most recently, in July 2026, the City of Charlotte asked the court to dismiss or substantially restrict the claims before trial. Evidence discussed at the hearing included the officers' own statements, police radio traffic and the video recordings. The judge declined to immediately dispose of the case and allowed additional briefing, leaving Webb's family's claims alive.
The later evidence therefore materially changes the original framing of Webb's death. What began as an attempted police stop over an allegedly obscured license plate developed into a pursuit through rush-hour traffic; police recordings indicate supervisory concern about the chase; Earl and Lerlo continued after the Jeep through residential streets; the Jeep subsequently entered Statesville Road in the wrong direction and crashed head-on into the car carrying Webb. CMPD's own officers were recorded questioning the pursuit afterward, the department reportedly suspended Earl and Lerlo, and Webb's family is continuing to seek civil accountability from both officers and the city.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Adam Earl was a CMPD officer assigned to the encounter and pursuit that preceded Webb's fatal crash. Public City of Charlotte employment records show Earl working for the city beginning by 2020 and continuing through at least 2024. Webb's lawsuit alleges that CMPD suspended Earl following the pursuit. The later body-camera release documents Earl and Lerlo's participation and captures other CMPD personnel criticizing their actions immediately after the collision.
Matthew-Ryan Lerlo was Earl's partner during the pursuit and is likewise individually named as a defendant in Webb's wrongful-death lawsuit. The complaint alleges that CMPD suspended Lerlo over the pursuit and related conduct. Current professional records continue to associate Lerlo with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/judge-allows-lawsuit-to-proceed-in-fatal-cmpd-pursuit-crash/275-e814f534-38e3-4ca6-bfdc-630f7a71c547
https://www.wbtv.com/2024/01/18/cmpd-officers-city-sued-after-2022-charlotte-chase-kills-mother-injures-2/
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/lawsuit-filed-by-estate-woman-killed-by-cmpd-chase-suspect/S6ZOHKEBE5CDFNZHSDNZR5ZXP4/
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article308510320.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/rogue-cmpd-pursuit-led-tragic-160848479.html
https://www.charlottealertsnews.com/news/woman-killed-in-head-on-collision-other-car-was-running-from-cops/
https://www.charlottealertsnews.com/news/video-woman-killed-in-head-on-collision-while-suspect-gets-in-chase-with-police/

On 08/30/2022, 30-year-old Benjamin Todd Wilber was killed when his motorcycle collided with a Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office pickup positioned at an intersection to assist an Adair County deputy who was pursuing him. The pursuit began after what initially was a welfare check on Wilber, who had stopped his motorcycle on an Interstate 80 overpass and appeared to the deputy to be slumped over.
Shortly after midnight, an Adair County sheriff’s deputy was patrolling near Adair-Madison Avenue and the Interstate 80 interchange at mile marker 97 when the deputy saw a motorcycle parked on the shoulder of the overpass. Wilber was sitting on the motorcycle and appeared slumped over, prompting the deputy to stop to check on him.
Wilber told the deputy he was cold and had stopped to rest or warm up. There was no confrontation during the welfare check. The deputy returned to the patrol vehicle and ran the license plate displayed on the motorcycle. The check indicated that the 2013 Harley-Davidson had been reported stolen in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
By the time the deputy received that information, Wilber had returned to Interstate 80 and was traveling west. The deputy caught up and attempted a traffic stop using emergency lights and siren. Wilber continued driving west and exited Interstate 80 at Adair.
Police continued pursuing Wilber north from Adair into Guthrie County. Wilber subsequently traveled east toward Casey on White Pole Road. The publicly available reporting does not provide the pursuit's maximum speed, total duration, exact distance, or whether a supervisor evaluated whether it should continue.
Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Thorn was called to assist with the pursuit. Thorn positioned his department-issued 2021 Chevrolet Silverado at the intersection of White Pole Road and Juniper Avenue. According to the Iowa State Patrol crash account, Thorn's pickup was stopped on Juniper Avenue on the south side of the intersection and facing north.
At approximately 12:32 a.m., Wilber approached the intersection traveling east on White Pole Road. His motorcycle veered south and struck the rear driver's side of Thorn's sheriff's vehicle.
The collision threw Wilber from the motorcycle. He landed in the southeast ditch and died from his injuries. Thorn was not physically injured.
The Iowa State Patrol investigated the fatal collision. Its initial findings identified Wilber, documented the positioning of Thorn's sheriff's vehicle and established that the motorcycle physically struck the police vehicle while an Adair County deputy was pursuing Wilber.
Later information released by the Adair County Sheriff’s Office supplied important context missing from the first reports: police did not initially encounter Wilber because they were investigating a crime or conducting a traffic stop. The encounter began when a deputy stopped to check on a motorcyclist who appeared to be slumped over and potentially in need of assistance. The pursuit began only after the deputy subsequently checked the motorcycle's plate and received information that it had been reported stolen.
Wilber was from Mora, Minnesota. He was born 11/26/1991 and worked as a welder. His family described him as an avid fisherman and outdoorsman who enjoyed animals, gaming, bonfires and spending time with family and friends. He left behind his parents and two brothers.
Friends remembered Wilber for his humor and willingness to help people, describing him as someone who listened when others were struggling and tried to cheer them up. His family emphasized that his relationships with family and friends were central to his life.
No later civil lawsuit, settlement, disciplinary proceeding, publicly released pursuit-policy review or finding of wrongdoing by either sheriff's department was located in the subsequent public record. The available later reporting also does not identify the Adair County deputy who initiated and conducted the pursuit.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Thorn, 52, was identified by the Iowa State Patrol as the deputy positioned at White Pole Road and Juniper Avenue to assist with the pursuit. Thorn was sitting in the department's 2021 Chevrolet Silverado when Wilber's motorcycle struck the rear driver's side of the police vehicle.
The Adair County deputy who initiated the attempted stop and pursued Wilber has not been publicly identified in the records located for this update.

https://www.radioiowa.com/2022/08/30/motorcycle-driver-dies-in-guthrie-county-crash-trying-to-flee-deputies/
https://westerniowatoday.com/2022/08/30/minnesota-man-dies-in-a-motorcycle-pursuit-crash-in-guthrie-county/
https://westerniowatoday.com/2022/08/30/adair-county-sheriffs-office-releases-more-details-on-a-pursuit-that-ended-in-a-fatal-crash-in-guthrie-county/
https://www.startribune.com/motorcyclist-from-minnesota-dies-in-crash-while-fleeing-deputy-in-iowa/600202604/
https://www.1380kcim.com/2022/08/30/minnesota-man-killed-after-crashing-motorcycle-while-fleeing-from-police-tuesday-morning/
https://wjon.com/mora-man-killed-in-motorcycle-crash-during-police-chase-in-iowa/
https://beyondthedash.com/obituary/benjamin-wilber-1086166230/

On 08/27/2022, 37-year-old Hector “Tito” Ruiz-Diaz was killed when a vehicle Arlington Police Department officers were pursuing crashed into traffic at New York Avenue and East Arkansas Lane. Ruiz-Diaz had no involvement in the police encounter. He and a friend had gone out to find a cake for the friend’s daughter’s quinceañera when the pursuit reached the intersection and the pursued vehicle crashed into six vehicles. Later court proceedings identified Ruiz-Diaz by his full surname, established additional details about the pursuit, and ended in 2024 with the pursued driver receiving a 50-year prison sentence.
Arlington police were attempting to arrest a man who was wanted in connection with multiple armed robberies. According to a later search-warrant affidavit, officers located his vehicle and attempted to stop and arrest him. When he continued driving away at high speed, Arlington police pursued.
The pursuit continued into southeast Arlington toward the heavily traveled intersection of New York Avenue and East Arkansas Lane. Arlington police later emphasized that the pursuit had been relatively short, but its duration did not prevent it from ending in a major multi-vehicle collision involving people who had nothing to do with the police operation.
At New York Avenue and Arkansas Lane, the pursued vehicle entered the intersection against a red traffic signal and crashed into vehicles that were stopped there. The collision ultimately involved six other vehicles. Ruiz-Diaz’s vehicle overturned, and he was killed.
The scale of the crash was substantially greater than the earliest accounts of Ruiz-Diaz’s death conveyed. Later criminal proceedings established that 14 additional people were injured in the collision. Ruiz-Diaz was the only person killed.
Ruiz-Diaz was not simply an unidentified motorist caught in the collision. Friends knew him as “Tito.” He was born in Mexico and was one of 11 siblings. He worked at an Arlington collision center, where he had developed close relationships with his coworkers and regarded them as family. Friends and relatives remembered him as caring, helpful, playful and direct.
The circumstances of his final trip were especially ordinary. Ruiz-Diaz and his friend Flores were looking for a cake for Flores’s daughter’s quinceañera when the police pursuit entered their path. After Ruiz-Diaz was killed, his family faced significant financial difficulty, and his body was returned to Mexico for burial.
The case subsequently produced a much more substantial criminal record than was available when Ruiz-Diaz was killed. Prosecutors charged the pursued driver with murder, evading arrest causing serious bodily injury and offenses associated with the robberies that had prompted police to seek his arrest.
In August 2024, nearly two years after Ruiz-Diaz’s death, the pursued driver pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing Ruiz-Diaz and injuring the other motorists. The guilty plea encompassed murder, robbery charges and evading arrest causing serious bodily injury.
The later prosecution therefore firmly established several details missing from the initial reporting: Ruiz-Diaz’s full name was Hector Ruiz-Diaz, rather than simply Hector or “Tito” Ruiz; he was 37; the pursuit occurred on 08/27/2022, not 08/30/2022 as some database entries have recorded; the pursued vehicle crashed into six vehicles; Ruiz-Diaz’s vehicle overturned; and 14 other people were injured.
Arlington Police Department’s own 2022 pursuit analysis provides additional context for the department’s pursuit practices that year. APD officers conducted 63 vehicle pursuits during 2022, 43 of them initiated for suspected felony offenses. Thirteen pursuits — 20.6% of all APD pursuits that year — ended in collisions. The department reported that each pursuit was required to be documented and reviewed by a supervisor under General Order 402.03.
The same report shows that supervisors ordered officers to terminate 18 pursuits during 2022, while officers independently terminated another 17. Those figures establish that terminating an active pursuit was an established and regularly used option within Arlington police operations that year.
No later civil wrongful-death lawsuit, settlement or publicly released disciplinary finding concerning the officers who pursued the vehicle was located during this update. The subsequent public record concentrates overwhelmingly on prosecuting the pursued driver rather than evaluating the police decision-making that preceded the fatal collision.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Arlington Police Department officers who initiated and participated in the pursuit that preceded Ruiz-Diaz’s death have not been publicly identified in the records located for this update.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/loved-ones-remember-bystander-killed-in-arlington-police-chase/3060786/

On 08/26/2022, 20-year-old Jeremy Scott Baumer Jr. was killed after an Iowa State Patrol pursuit of his motorcycle reached speeds exceeding 100 mph on West River Drive in Davenport and ended when Baumer's motorcycle crashed into the rear of a Ford Fusion near Fairmount Street. Baumer was transported to a Davenport hospital and pronounced dead.
The crash occurred at approximately 9:55 p.m. Baumer was riding eastbound on West River Drive while Iowa State Patrol troopers pursued him. State Patrol specifically acknowledged that speeds during the pursuit exceeded 100 mph.
Near Fairmount Street, Baumer's motorcycle struck the rear of a white Ford Fusion. The woman driving the Ford sustained minor injuries and declined medical treatment. She was the only person in the car. Baumer suffered fatal injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
One of the most significant unresolved facts is why Iowa State Patrol initiated or continued a pursuit exceeding 100 mph in the first place. In its report several days after Baumer's death, KWQC specifically stated that troopers had not disclosed why they were pursuing him and that the station had contacted State Patrol seeking additional information.
A search for later reporting, court records and other follow-up did not locate a subsequent public explanation establishing the initiating reason for the pursuit. I also did not locate a publicly released pursuit report identifying the trooper, the pursuit's total duration or distance, the maximum recorded speed beyond the acknowledgement that it exceeded 100 mph, whether a supervisor authorized or monitored it, or whether police considered terminating it before the fatal collision.
The date in the original source can also cause confusion because the identification story was published on August 29 and described the crash as having occurred the previous Friday. Baumer actually died on 08/26/2022, which is independently confirmed by his funeral-home record.Baumer had recently begun working at Deere & Company Davenport Works. Motorcycles were not merely incidental to the night he died; riding motorcycles was one of his principal interests, along with fishing. He also worked alongside his family at J&M Displays, helping with fireworks at community events.
He left behind his father and stepmother, mother, sister, half-brothers, step-siblings, grandfather and extended family. His family requested that memorial contributions be made to the Humane Society of Scott County. He was buried at Maysville Cemetery following his funeral on 09/06/2022.
No subsequent civil lawsuit, settlement, criminal prosecution, publicly disclosed disciplinary action or completed public investigation explaining the decision to pursue Baumer at more than 100 mph was located during this update. Consequently, the most important question left unanswered by the original reporting remains unanswered in the later public record: what prompted Iowa State Patrol to initiate and maintain the high-speed pursuit that preceded Baumer's death.
.

OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Iowa State Patrol trooper or troopers who initiated and participated in the pursuit have not been publicly identified in the records located for this update.

https://www.kwqc.com/2022/08/29/troopers-identify-man-killed-after-vehicle-chase-ends-davenport-crash/
https://www.hmdfuneralhome.com/obituaries/jeremy-baumer-jr

On 08/29/2022, an unidentified driver was killed after Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers pursued a vehicle police believed had been stolen through Kalamazoo. The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed with enough force to split a utility pole in half. Two passengers in the vehicle survived with injuries.
Kalamazoo police said officers encountered the vehicle and determined or believed that it had been stolen. Officers attempted to stop it, and when the driver continued driving away, police pursued. The publicly available reporting does not establish what circumstances led officers to locate the vehicle, how police determined it was stolen, or whether police were investigating any offense beyond possession of the allegedly stolen vehicle.
During the pursuit, the driver lost control and crashed into a utility pole. The impact broke the pole in half and caused extensive damage to the vehicle. The driver was killed, while two passengers were injured.
The original reporting did not disclose the speed of the police pursuit, its duration or distance, whether supervisors authorized or monitored it, whether officers considered terminating it, or how closely pursuing police vehicles were following immediately before the crash.
The identity of the person killed was not released in the original reporting. A search for subsequent reporting and later publicly indexed records did not locate a reliable later identification of the driver. Age, gender and race therefore remain Unknown rather than being inferred.
The two surviving passengers likewise were not identified in the reporting located for this update. Because they survived, they do not require separate fatality entries in the database.
The later public record remains extremely limited. No subsequent civil lawsuit, settlement, disciplinary proceeding, publicly released internal investigation, pursuit review, dash-camera footage or detailed reconstruction of the police pursuit was located. Most importantly, no later source located for this update identifies the driver or explains the police decision to continue the pursuit through Kalamazoo before the fatal crash.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers who initiated and participated in the pursuit have not been publicly identified in the records located for this update.

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2022/08/one-dead-after-stolen-vehicle-crashes-into-police-during-kalamazoo-police-pursuit.html

On 08/29/2022, an unidentified man was killed when Newaygo County Undersheriff Chad Palmiter pursued a red Dodge Charger along East Baseline Road following a report of shots fired at a residence in Wilcox Township. The pursuit ended east of South Oak Avenue when the Charger crossed the centerline, left the roadway and crashed into a tree. The driver died at the scene.
Newaygo County sheriff’s deputies had initially been dispatched to a Wilcox Township residence for a report of shots fired. Police were given a description of a red Dodge Charger allegedly connected to the shooting. The publicly available accounts do not provide further details about the reported gunfire, including whether anyone was injured, what had occurred at the residence, or what evidence connected the Charger or its driver to the shooting.
Palmiter spotted a red Dodge Charger traveling east on Baseline Road. According to the sheriff’s office, he followed the vehicle and determined that it was the vehicle police were seeking. Palmiter then activated his emergency lights and siren in an attempt to stop the driver.
When the driver continued eastbound, Palmiter pursued. The available reports do not disclose the pursuit's speed, duration or total distance, how closely Palmiter followed the Charger, whether a supervisor monitored the pursuit, or whether termination of the pursuit was considered.
East of South Oak Avenue, the Charger crossed the centerline, traveled off the roadway and struck a tree. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Michigan State Police subsequently said Palmiter’s patrol vehicle did not physically collide with the Charger.
The Michigan State Police Hart Post and a Sixth District accident reconstruction specialist were called to investigate the fatal crash.
The driver's identity was initially withheld pending notification of family. A search for subsequent reporting and later publicly indexed records did not locate a reliable later identification. His age and race likewise remain undocumented in the sources located and therefore are listed as Unknown.
The later public record remains extremely limited. No publicly accessible final accident-reconstruction report, pursuit review, dash-camera footage, civil lawsuit, settlement or disciplinary finding concerning Palmiter's decision to pursue was located. The original reporting also leaves unanswered the precise basis on which Palmiter determined that the Charger he encountered was the same vehicle associated with the shots-fired complaint.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Chad Palmiter was the Newaygo County undersheriff and was specifically identified as the officer who located the Charger, attempted the traffic stop and pursued the driver before the fatal crash.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/newaygo-county/car-chase-leads-to-crash-near-white-cloud/
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/newaygo-police-chase-ends-in-deadly-crash/69-51fe2e0f-918b-4287-bf13-0bacc900fd7d
https://www.manisteenews.com/news/article/Police-Pursuit-Fatal-Newaygo-County-17405762.php
https://www.audacy.com/wwjnewsradio/news/local/suspect-dies-after-crashing-into-tree-while-fleeing-msp

On 08/27/2022, 45-year-old Derrick Deon Flanders of Rancho Palos Verdes was struck and killed by a Huntington Beach Police Department vehicle near North Pacific Avenue and Broadway in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach. The collision occurred at approximately 5:40 a.m.
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The Huntington Beach officer was responding to a radio call when the police vehicle struck Flanders. The officer was driving a department Ford Explorer. Flanders initially survived the collision and was transported by paramedics to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
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The California Highway Patrol investigated the fatal collision because it involved a Huntington Beach city vehicle. Contemporary reporting said investigators were still determining the circumstances leading to the crash, and the nature of the radio call to which the officer was responding was not publicly disclosed.
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The officer driving the Ford Explorer was identified publicly only as 22-year-old “Robert M.” Huntington Beach police placed him on administrative leave while the collision was investigated.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Huntington Beach Police Department officer was 22 years old and publicly identified only as Robert M. He was placed on administrative leave following Flanders' death. No defensible full name or prior disciplinary/shooting history was located in the sources reviewed.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-28/huntington-beach-police-officer-hits-kills-pedestrian-while-responding-to-radio-call
https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2022-08-29/man-struck-and-killed-by-police-suv-in-huntington-beach-was-rancho-palos-verdes-resident
https://abc7.com/huntington-beach-fatal-crash-man-killed-pedestrian-struck-sunset-derrick-deon-flanders-of-rancho-palos-verdes/12178144/
https://mynewsla.com/crime/2022/08/28/rancho-palos-verdes-man-struck-killed-by-huntington-beach-police-officer-2/

On 08/26/2022, 39-year-old Luis Hernandez was killed while riding his mini motorbike home from work when a vehicle being pursued by Monroeville Police Department officers struck him at William Penn Highway and Graham Boulevard in Wilkinsburg. Hernandez was an uninvolved bystander and father of three children.
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Monroeville police initiated the pursuit at approximately 7:54 p.m. after attempting to stop a driver because police knew he had outstanding felony arrest warrants. When the driver continued away, Monroeville officers pursued east along William Penn Highway through multiple municipalities toward Wilkinsburg. Because Hernandez was the uninvolved person killed, the pursued driver's identity is omitted from this report.
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Later court records substantially expanded what was known about the pursuit. According to the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Hernandez's family, police continued the pursuit at speeds reaching approximately 107 mph as it traveled from Monroeville through Churchill and into Wilkinsburg on a Friday evening.
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Hernandez was traveling on his mini motorbike near William Penn Highway and Graham Boulevard when the pursued vehicle struck him. Some Monroeville officers stopped after the collision to render assistance. Hernandez was transported to a hospital but died from his injuries.
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The pursued vehicle continued away after the fatal collision. Police subsequently located the driver near his residence. The later criminal case resulted in guilty pleas including homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault, and the driver received a sentence of 17 to 34 years in state prison.
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Hernandez's family maintained from shortly after his death that police shared responsibility for creating the circumstances that killed him. His aunt, Evelyn Hernandez, questioned why officers pursued at extreme speeds across multiple municipalities when police knew the person they were seeking and where he lived.
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In 2024, Hernandez's family filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit against Monroeville, its police department, Police Chief Doug Cole and several officers. The lawsuit alleges that police unlawfully continued a dangerous high-speed pursuit that violated established model pursuit policies and unnecessarily endangered the public.
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Body-camera footage obtained in connection with the case revealed that officers themselves discussed the permissiveness of Monroeville's pursuit policy. In one recording, an officer described the department's pursuit policy as comparatively lenient.
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More significantly, body-camera footage captured Chief Doug Cole acknowledging after Hernandez was struck that he had considered terminating the pursuit. Cole told an officer that he had thought about calling the pursuing officers off. The officer responded that he had considered the same thing but indicated that traffic had not initially appeared severe. Neither terminated the pursuit before it reached Wilkinsburg and Hernandez was struck.
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The family's attorney argued that the pursuit should never have occurred at speeds exceeding 100 mph because police knew the identity and residence of the person they wanted to arrest and therefore had alternatives to an extended high-speed pursuit through populated communities. The lawsuit alleges that the police decision to continue pursuing created the danger that resulted in Hernandez's death.
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Hernandez was returning home from work when he was killed. He left three children. His family described his death as the loss of an innocent person whose ordinary commute home intersected with a police pursuit in which he had no involvement.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
.
The publicly available reporting on the federal lawsuit identifies Police Chief Doug Cole as a defendant and confirms that several Monroeville officers were also sued over the pursuit. The news records located do not reliably identify each pursuing officer by name. Cole's own recorded comments establish that he was monitoring the pursuit and considered ordering officers to terminate it before Hernandez was killed.

The Hernandez litigation also raised broader questions about Monroeville's pursuit practices. In August 2024, Monroeville officers were involved in another high-speed pursuit originating from a minor traffic violation that culminated in a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus crashing into a house in Homewood. The Hernandez family's attorney cited that subsequent incident while arguing that Monroeville's pursuit policy required reform.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/monroeville-police-department-lawsuit/
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https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/deadly-hit-and-run-in-wilkinsburg-ends-in-shots-fired-suspect-taken-into-custody/
.
https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/police-investigating-officer-involved-shooting-after-fatal-hit-run-wilkinsburg/3KRIXZP3OZBDRJSRULQBI5AANY/
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https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/new-charges-filed-deadly-crash-during-police-chase-wilkinsburg/TLGWRXTDLVFELJIFCIK4BKW23Y/
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https://www.wtae.com/article/monroeville-police-chase-lawsuit/62267375
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https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/family-innocent-man-killed-2022-crash-caused-by-police-chase-wilkinsburg-files-lawsuit/FXA4LHSYZZEFBFRGIE4RV5BSNU/

On 08/26/2022, 28-year-old Brian Z. Heath of Aiken, South Carolina, was killed when a Chrysler 300 being pursued by Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputies crossed into his lane and struck his Nissan Versa head-on on Old Savannah Road near Roselle Street in Augusta. Heath was an uninvolved driver returning from work and had no connection to the police pursuit.
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The pursuit began at approximately 7:40 p.m. when a Richmond County deputy attempted to stop the Chrysler at East Boundary and East Walker streets for failure to maintain lane, a misdemeanor traffic offense. The driver continued driving away while the deputy pursued. The Chrysler reached speeds exceeding 100 mph.
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Records associated with the case listed additional traffic offenses including driving too fast for conditions, an open-container violation, failure to wear a seat belt, driving on the wrong side of the roadway, an expired tag, failure to provide proof of insurance and driving under the influence. The immediate reason reported for the deputy's attempted stop, however, was failure to maintain lane.
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The pursuit continued along Old Savannah Road. According to the Georgia State Patrol, the Chrysler vaulted over a railroad crossing near Roselle Street, causing the driver to lose control. The Chrysler crossed into the opposite lane and struck Heath’s Nissan Versa head-on.
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The collision caused extensive damage and trapped Heath inside his vehicle. Emergency personnel extricated him, but Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen pronounced him dead at the scene at 9:40 p.m. The driver of the pursued Chrysler suffered serious injuries and was transported to Augusta University Medical Center.
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Because Heath was an uninvolved bystander, the pursued driver's identity is omitted from this report. Authorities later charged the driver with murder, homicide by vehicle, fleeing police, DUI and multiple traffic offenses. Investigators reported finding opened beer cans in the Chrysler, and authorities said the driver admitted consuming alcohol and marijuana before driving.
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Heath’s sisters questioned why deputies continued a pursuit at more than 100 mph over what began as a traffic stop. One sister specifically raised concerns about police continuing the pursuit while oncoming motorists were using the narrow roadway. Because the fatal crash occurred during a police pursuit, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office asked the Georgia State Patrol to conduct an independent crash investigation.
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The case also prompted scrutiny of Richmond County’s pursuit policy. Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council official Chris Harvey explained that officers engaged in pursuits must exercise due regard for public safety and illustrated the principle by noting that extreme-speed pursuit would not be justified for a trivial underlying violation. Richmond County policy left the decision to initiate a pursuit to the individual deputy.
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Heath had just gotten off work at Kimberly-Clark and was driving in Augusta when the pursued vehicle entered his lane. His family described him as a loving brother and uncle. His obituary identifies his full name as Brian Z. Heath and confirms that he died at age 28 on 08/26/2022.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputy who initiated the pursuit and the other deputies who participated were not identified in the public records located.

https://www.postandcourier.com/aikenstandard/news/crime/aiken-man-killed-in-richmond-county-high-speed-chase-augusta-man-charged-with-murder/article_cb758d98-27cd-11ed-9922-0716ea2295bf.html
https://www.wrdw.com/2022/08/27/high-speed-chase-results-two-vehicle-collision/
https://www.wrdw.com/2022/08/29/1-driver-dead-1-jail-family-mourning-after-augusta-chase/
https://augustacrime.com/murder-charge-augusta-felon-was-drunk-high-during-deadly-police-pursuit/
https://augustacrime.com/sisters-of-innocent-driver-killed-in-deadly-augusta-pursuit-call-for-justice/
https://obits.postandcourier.com/us/obituaries/aikenstandard/name/brian-heath-obituary?id=36381325

On 08/20/2022, 46-year-old Heather Marie Dahlberg was critically injured during a Cambridge Police Department pursuit that ended when the vehicle in which she was riding crashed into a tree and caught fire at Dellwood Street South and 11th Avenue SW in Cambridge. Dahlberg subsequently died from her injuries on 08/23/2022.
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The reason police initiated the encounter was a driver's-license issue discovered after an officer saw the vehicle leaving Cambridge City Park after hours. At approximately 11:37 p.m., the officer was patrolling the park when he saw the vehicle leaving and ran its license plate. The check showed that the vehicle's registered owner had a canceled driver's license.
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The officer attempted to stop the vehicle at 2nd Avenue SW and Fern Street South. As the officer approached, the driver drove away. At approximately 11:38 p.m., the officer began pursuing as the vehicle rapidly accelerated south on Fern Street.
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According to the Cambridge Police Department, the officer lost sight of the vehicle as it rounded the corner near Cambridge Medical Center. Police reported that the officer terminated the pursuit at approximately 11:39 p.m. and radioed dispatch that the pursuit had been discontinued. The active pursuit therefore lasted approximately one minute.
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A short time later, while driving south on Dellwood Street South, the officer encountered the vehicle after it had crashed into a tree at Dellwood Street South and 11th Avenue SW. The vehicle had extensive front-end damage and was visibly on fire. Both the driver and Dahlberg remained trapped inside and required extrication.
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Cambridge Fire Department personnel responded and extricated both people from the burning vehicle. Dahlberg survived the initial crash but died from her injuries three days later.
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The initiating reason for this fatal pursuit was therefore that a license-plate check showed the vehicle's registered owner had a canceled driver's license after the officer observed the vehicle leaving a city park after hours. The fleeing conduct occurred only after the officer attempted the traffic stop.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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The Cambridge Police Department officer who initiated the traffic stop and pursuit was not publicly identified in the records located.

https://www.isanti-chisagocountystar.com/news/brief-police-pursuit-results-in-fatal-crash/article_67ff8458-22f5-11ed-8b13-0f26863d9a9d.html

On 08/19/2022, 22-year-old Angel Lopez was killed when the ATV he was driving crashed into a tractor-trailer near Queens Plaza South and Jackson Avenue in Long Island City during an encounter involving New York Police Department officers. His passenger and friend, 18-year-old Jeremy Rosario, was also killed. The New York Attorney General's Office records both deaths as occurring on 08/19/2022 and classifies the incident as vehicular.
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The police encounter began over the operation of an ATV on city streets rather than a reported violent crime. Subsequent reporting on New York police pursuits categorized the initiating matter as an equipment violation. ATVs are prohibited from operation on New York City streets.
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Lopez was driving the ATV with Rosario as his passenger when NYPD Officers Niketas Janios and Marya Cardona Quintero encountered them. Family members and a friend riding alongside Lopez and Rosario said the officers pursued the ATV. The witness was adamant that police were chasing the two young men immediately before the fatal crash.
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During the encounter, Lopez drove the ATV against traffic near Jackson Avenue and Queens Plaza South. The ATV collided with a tractor-trailer. Lopez and Rosario suffered catastrophic injuries and died. Neither was wearing a helmet.
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The NYPD initially did not publicly characterize the incident as a police pursuit. After questions arose about the officers' actions, the department opened an investigation into whether Janios and Cardona Quintero had pursued the ATV in violation of department policy. Both officers were removed from regular enforcement duties and placed on modified duty while the circumstances of the crash were investigated.
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NYPD policy in effect at the time required officers to terminate a vehicle pursuit when the risks created by continuing the chase outweighed the danger posed by allowing the person being pursued to escape immediate apprehension. Lopez's family acknowledged that he had been illegally operating the ATV but argued that the violation did not justify a police pursuit that ended with two young men dead.
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The New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation received the case because the deaths occurred following an encounter with police. The Attorney General's official annual report identifies the victims as Angel Lopez, 22, and Jeremy Rosario, 18, both Latino/Hispanic men, correcting early news reports that identified Rosario as Jeremy Ramos.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
.
Niketas Janios and Marya Cardona Quintero were the NYPD officers associated with the encounter and subsequent investigation into whether a prohibited or improper pursuit contributed to the fatal crash. Both were placed on modified duty following the deaths.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/nyregion/fatal-crash-queens-nypd.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nypd-investigating-possible-police-chase-involving-illegal-atv-after-2-men-killed/
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2022_osi_annual_report.pdf
https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2024/police-pursuits/

On 08/19/2022, 18-year-old Jeremy Rosario was killed when an ATV driven by his friend, 22-year-old Angel Lopez, crashed into a tractor-trailer near Queens Plaza South and Jackson Avenue in Long Island City during an encounter involving New York Police Department officers. The New York Attorney General's Office identifies Rosario and Lopez as the two men who died and classifies the incident as vehicular.
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Rosario was the passenger and was not driving the ATV. The police encounter originated over the operation of the ATV on city streets rather than a reported violent crime. Subsequent reporting examining New York police pursuits categorized the initiating matter as an equipment violation.
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Family members and a friend who was riding alongside Lopez and Rosario said NYPD officers were pursuing the ATV immediately before the collision. The NYPD subsequently acknowledged that it was investigating whether two officers had in fact chased the ATV.
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During the encounter, the ATV traveled against traffic near Jackson Avenue and Queens Plaza South and collided with a tractor-trailer. Both Lopez and Rosario suffered catastrophic injuries and died. Neither young man was wearing a helmet.
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The NYPD placed Officers Niketas Janios and Marya Cardona Quintero on modified duty while investigating their actions and whether their pursuit contributed to the crash. The department's pursuit policy required officers to terminate a chase when the danger created by continuing outweighed the danger posed by allowing immediate escape.
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Rosario's status as the passenger is significant because he was not controlling the ATV during the police encounter. He died as the passenger during the same pursuit-related crash that killed Lopez.
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Early news coverage identified Rosario as "Jeremy Ramos," apparently based on information provided by family members immediately after the crash. The New York Attorney General's subsequent official record identifies him as Jeremy Rosario, age 18, Hispanic, and records his death on 08/19/2022.
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The New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation received the case for review because the two deaths followed an encounter with NYPD officers. The Attorney General's annual report lists Lopez and Rosario together as the two deaths arising from the Queens NYPD vehicular incident.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Niketas Janios and Marya Cardona Quintero were the NYPD officers associated with the encounter and subsequent investigation into whether a police pursuit contributed to the fatal crash. Both officers were placed on modified duty following the deaths.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/nyregion/fatal-crash-queens-nypd.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nypd-investigating-possible-police-chase-involving-illegal-atv-after-2-men-killed/
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2022_osi_annual_report.pdf
https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2024/police-pursuits/

On 08/19/2022, 35-year-old Janisha Janay Harris was killed when a speeding Cadillac being pursued by Los Angeles Police Department officers ran a red light and crashed into the BMW in which Harris and 38-year-old Jamarae Keyes were traveling at Manchester Avenue and South Broadway in South Los Angeles. Harris and Keyes were uninvolved in the police encounter and were on their way home from work.
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The encounter began at approximately 4:15 a.m. when officers from LAPD's 77th Street Station observed a Cadillac traveling at high speed and attempted a traffic stop for speeding. The Cadillac continued driving away while police followed. Although the people inside the Cadillac were later linked to burglaries in Camarillo and Moorpark, the LAPD's account indicates that officers initially attempted to stop the vehicle because they observed it speeding, not because they were then pursuing it for those burglaries.
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Dash-camera video later showed the police vehicle following the Cadillac at high speed for approximately 80 seconds. The officers eventually turned off their emergency lights and siren, but did so only seconds before the fatal collision. LAPD separately stated that the formally designated pursuit lasted 15 seconds before officers disengaged.
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The Cadillac continued at high speed and entered the intersection of Manchester Avenue and South Broadway against a red light, striking the BMW occupied by Harris and Keyes. The impact pushed their vehicle into a semitruck and produced a multi-vehicle collision. Harris and Keyes were both killed.
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The Cadillac contained four people. Three were taken into custody following the crash. Police identified the driver as 20-year-old Matthew Sutton, who fled on foot after the collision but was subsequently arrested. LAPD later reported that Sutton had an active burglary warrant and that the four people in the Cadillac were implicated in a series of burglaries in Camarillo and Moorpark.
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LAPD initially publicly denied that a police pursuit had occurred. After additional review, however, an LAPD report acknowledged that officers had pursued the Cadillac. The department's own collision report stated that the 77th Street patrol unit had been in pursuit, while LAPD subsequently maintained that officers disengaged shortly before the collision.
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The discrepancy generated accusations from Harris's and Keyes's families that LAPD had attempted to minimize its role in the deaths. After demands from the families and their attorney, Police Chief Michel Moore ordered release of the dash-camera and body-worn-camera footage. The video showed the high-speed police pursuit and that the emergency lights and siren were turned off only seconds before the crash.
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Harris was the mother of two children. Her family and Keyes's family subsequently announced plans for wrongful-death litigation against LAPD and the City of Los Angeles, alleging that the police pursuit contributed to the collision that killed them.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-31/lapd-pursuit-police-shut-lights-off-only-5-seconds-before-crash
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/lapd-admits-crash-that-killed-2-innocent-victims-occurred-during-police-pursuit/
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-26/officers-were-chasing-motorist-at-time-of-deadly-crash-lapd-report-says
https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/traffic-collision-investigation-nr22245km/
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/families-of-2-innocent-victims-killed-amid-lapd-pursuit-to-sue-department-and-city/

On 08/19/2022, 38-year-old Jamarae Keyes was killed when a speeding Cadillac being pursued by Los Angeles Police Department officers ran a red light and crashed into the BMW in which Keyes and 35-year-old Janisha Janay Harris were traveling at Manchester Avenue and South Broadway in South Los Angeles. Keyes and Harris were uninvolved in the police encounter and were returning home from work.
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The police encounter began at approximately 4:15 a.m. when officers from LAPD's 77th Street Station observed a Cadillac traveling at high speed and attempted to stop it for speeding. The Cadillac continued driving away while police followed. Although investigators later connected the four people in the Cadillac to burglaries in Camarillo and Moorpark, the initiating reason for the police stop was the officers' observation that the Cadillac was speeding.
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Dash-camera footage showed the police vehicle following the Cadillac at high speed for approximately 80 seconds. Officers turned off their emergency lights and siren only seconds before the collision. LAPD subsequently characterized the formally designated pursuit as lasting 15 seconds before officers disengaged.
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The Cadillac entered Manchester Avenue and South Broadway against a red light at high speed and struck the BMW occupied by Keyes and Harris. Their BMW was pushed into a semitruck as part of the resulting multi-vehicle collision. Both Keyes and Harris were killed.
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LAPD initially publicly maintained that there had been no pursuit. The department later reversed that position after further review of the evidence. An LAPD police report acknowledged that officers from the 77th Street Station had pursued the Cadillac, contradicting the department's initial public description of the incident.
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The contradiction became a major issue for the victims' families. Keyes's widow, Tanya Keyes, and attorneys representing both families demanded release of the police recordings and accused LAPD of concealing its role in the events leading to the crash. Police Chief Michel Moore subsequently ordered release of the recordings.
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The released dash-camera footage showed the police vehicle traveling behind the Cadillac at high speed and officers shutting off their lights and siren only seconds before the Cadillac entered the intersection and struck the victims' BMW. The families maintained that turning off the emergency equipment immediately before impact did not meaningfully end the pursuit or eliminate the danger it had created.
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Keyes left behind his wife and children. His family and Harris's family subsequently announced plans to pursue wrongful-death claims against LAPD and the City of Los Angeles, arguing that the officers' decision to engage in the high-speed pursuit contributed to the deaths.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-31/lapd-pursuit-police-shut-lights-off-only-5-seconds-before-crash
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/lapd-admits-crash-that-killed-2-innocent-victims-occurred-during-police-pursuit/
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-26/officers-were-chasing-motorist-at-time-of-deadly-crash-lapd-report-says
https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/traffic-collision-investigation-nr22245km/
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/families-of-2-innocent-victims-killed-amid-lapd-pursuit-to-sue-department-and-city/

On 08/16/2022, at approximately 12:43–12:45 a.m., Houston Police Department patrol officers encountered a 43-year-old man driving a red Nissan Altima in north Houston. Officers initiated the attempted traffic stop specifically because the Altima was being driven without its headlights on. Police said this caused officers to suspect that the driver might be impaired.
Officers activated their emergency lights and siren and directed the driver toward a parking lot. Instead, the driver continued driving away at high speed northbound on West Montgomery Road while Houston police pursued.
The pursuit ended in the 10500 block of West Montgomery Road. According to HPD, the Nissan struck a curb on the east side of the roadway while negotiating a curve, crossed the median and crashed into a pole on the opposite side of the road. Officers reached the crashed vehicle, and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the sole person in the Nissan, and no other vehicles were involved.
At the scene, HPD spokesperson Belinda Knoll said police did not know why the driver continued driving away and characterized intoxication only as a police suspicion. The available reporting does not establish that impairment had been confirmed at the time of the crash.
Because the death occurred during the police encounter, HPD's Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office investigated the incident. HPD also announced that body-camera footage would be released within 30 days. The HPD incident number is 109509722-Z.

https://abc13.com/deadly-police-chase-crash-west-montgomery-road-fatal-man-dies-in-after-houston-hpd-high-speed/12130529/
https://cityofhouston.news/investigation-into-fatal-crash-at-10500-west-montgomery-road/
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/high-speed-chase-suspect-dies-in-crash-in-northwest-houston-police-say

On 08/16/2022, at approximately 3:00 a.m., Detroit police responded to a ShotSpotter alert involving gunfire during what Police Chief James White described as a domestic-related incident. Police alleged that a man fired into a parked vehicle while another person was inside. According to White, that person ran from the vehicle into a residence, after which the gunman allegedly fired into the house. Police said the two men knew each other. Investigators were seeking the alleged gunman for assault with intent to murder.
Detroit Police Department's 9th Precinct Crime Intelligence Unit investigated the shooting and used the city's Project Green Light surveillance system to identify a Chrysler 300 believed to have been involved. Investigators obtained the vehicle's license plate after determining that it had appeared at a gas station participating in Project Green Light. Police distributed the vehicle description and license plate to patrol officers.
At approximately 7:05 a.m., Detroit officers located the Chrysler 300 on the city's east side and attempted to stop it. The driver continued driving away while police pursued. Police reported that the Chrysler had previously been reported stolen from Romulus on 07/11/2022.
Police Chief James White said officers lost sight of the Chrysler for approximately one minute while continuing to search for it. Another contemporaneous account reported that Detroit police terminated the pursuit after the driver continued driving away, then subsequently spotted the Chrysler nearby. Thus, the available accounts indicate that officers were no longer immediately behind the Chrysler when the fatal collision occurred.
The Chrysler was traveling at extremely high speed through the east-side neighborhood. Police estimated that it reached approximately 100 mph. Near Chalmers and Wilfred streets, the Chrysler crashed into the rear of a U.S. Postal Service tractor-trailer and became wedged underneath the trailer. The driver of the Chrysler was killed in the collision.
The driver of the postal truck survived. Police reported that she was visibly shaken and was transported to a hospital as a precaution. Firefighters used extraction equipment to remove the deceased driver from the heavily damaged Chrysler.
Police reported recovering two firearms from inside the Chrysler following the crash. The recovery of the firearms was reported as part of the investigation into the earlier shooting; available reporting did not establish through independent evidence that the deceased driver had fired either weapon during the earlier incident.
Detroit Police Chief James White publicly described the death as a tragic outcome and expressed condolences to the driver's family. At the time of the initial investigation, police had not publicly released the man's identity and described him as a man in his 20s.

https://www.wxyz.com/news/police-chase-suspect-dies-after-crashing-under-semi-on-detroits-east-side

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/detroit-police-chase-ends-in-fatal-crash-after-suspect-car-runs-into-postal-truck

On 08/15/2022, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Nicholas Mills attempted to stop a Ford Ranger on Interstate 35 south of Oklahoma City after observing a broken light and the driver allegedly failing to use a turn signal. Later federal court records identify these as the specific violations that initiated the encounter. The truck contained three people: driver Alex Carpenter and passengers Ethan Isaiah Mestas, 22, and Mercedes Martinez, 26.
The driver continued south on Interstate 35 while Mills pursued. During the pursuit, police learned that the truck had been reported stolen. The pursuit entered Norman and reached speeds exceeding 80 mph. Police also alleged that items were thrown from the vehicle during the pursuit.
Mills requested authorization to perform a Tactical Vehicle Intervention, or TVI, in which a police vehicle deliberately contacts a pursued vehicle to cause it to rotate and stop. Later federal litigation states that it remains unclear whether Mills actually received authorization before performing the maneuver.
Mills deliberately struck the Ford Ranger with his patrol vehicle while the vehicles were traveling at more than 80 mph. The impact caused the Ranger to spin, roll violently and eject both passengers. Mestas was pronounced dead at the scene. Martinez survived initially with critical injuries but subsequently died.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol initially described the crash differently. Subsequent reporting based on video evidence established that Mills had deliberately struck and spun the truck. Later national reporting similarly documented that Mills initially claimed the fleeing vehicle had struck his patrol car, while video showed that Mills had rammed the truck at more than 80 mph. OHP subsequently cleared Mills of wrongdoing.
Carpenter was criminally charged with first-degree murder in connection with Mestas' death under Oklahoma's felony-murder law, as well as vehicle theft and felony eluding. Carpenter disputed OHP's account of who was driving, claiming in a sworn filing that Mestas had been driving. Mestas' family disputed Carpenter's claim and said Carpenter had picked Mestas up in the Ford Ranger before the trip to Oklahoma. OHP identified Carpenter as the driver, and later federal court records likewise identify Carpenter as the driver and Mestas and Martinez as passengers.
On 03/12/2024, Mestas' parents, Fabian Eddy Gray and Adelma Mestas, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Trooper Nicholas Mills and Oklahoma Highway Patrol Chief Patrick F. Mays in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The lawsuit alleges excessive force and challenges OHP's training, supervision and policies permitting high-speed TVI maneuvers.
The complaint alleges that a TVI can generally be performed safely only at substantially lower speeds and that Mills used the maneuver at more than 80 mph for conduct that began with a broken light and failure to signal. The plaintiffs characterize Mills' maneuver as deadly force and allege that OHP leadership continued to train, authorize and approve high-speed TVIs despite knowledge that the practice had resulted in deaths.
The litigation remains active. On 07/06/2026, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick denied OHP Chief Patrick Mays' latest motion to dismiss. The federal court again summarized the underlying event as Mills pursuing the vehicle and ending the pursuit by performing a TVI at more than 80 mph, causing the vehicle to roll and eject Mestas and Martinez, killing both passengers.

https://kfor.com/news/local/one-killed-after-high-speed-chase-with-troopers/
https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-cleveland-county-chase-deadly-crash/40906849
https://krdo.com/news/2022/08/24/a-man-from-pueblo-is-charged-with-murder-after-a-deadly-high-speed-chase-in-oklahoma/
https://krdo.com/news/2022/09/12/pueblo-man-accused-of-murder-refutes-accounts-from-oklahoma-highway-patrol/
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/oklahoma/okwdce/5%3A2024cv00268/126123/13/
https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/oklahoma/okwdce/5%3A2024cv00268/126123/52
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/oklahoma/okwdce/5%3A2024cv00268/126123
Name: Mercedes Martinez

On 08/15/2022, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Nicholas Mills attempted to stop a Ford Ranger on Interstate 35 in south Oklahoma City after observing an equipment violation and a turn-signal violation. The driver continued driving away while police pursued. During the pursuit, dispatch advised that the truck displayed stolen license plates. Court records later alleged the truck reached speeds exceeding 80 mph and that occupants threw items from the vehicle during the chase.
The pursuit continued south into Norman. Trooper Mills performed a Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI) maneuver between Tecumseh Road and Rock Creek Road, causing the pickup to lose control, roll over multiple times, and eject both passengers. Ethan Isaiah Mestas, who was riding as a passenger, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Passenger Mercedes Martinez was critically injured and later died from her injuries. Driver Alex Carpenter survived.
Family members said Mestas had traveled from Pueblo, Colorado, to Oklahoma to support Martinez after recent deaths in her family. They described him as a home remodeler who enjoyed motocross and was known for his outgoing personality. His family questioned whether the pursuit should have continued over the underlying traffic violations and challenged the decision to use a TVI maneuver. Investigative reporting also cited research suggesting that many fleeing drivers reduce their speed after pursuits are discontinued, raising broader questions about Oklahoma Highway Patrol pursuit practices.
Trooper Mills was placed on administrative leave following the crash while the Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted an internal investigation. In 2024, Mestas' parents filed a federal wrongful-death and civil rights lawsuit against Trooper Mills and Oklahoma Highway Patrol leadership. The complaint alleges the TVI constituted excessive force because it was used during a pursuit that began over minor traffic violations and a stolen vehicle investigation. In 2025 and 2026, the federal court allowed significant portions of the lawsuit to proceed, including claims challenging OHP training and supervision regarding high-speed tactical vehicle interventions.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/destroyed-family-mourns-death-data-225200410.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/second-passenger-august-ohp-pursuit-225400154.html
https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/oklahoma/okwdce/5%3A2024cv00268/126123/52

On 08/14/2022, at approximately 6:30 p.m., a Pearl Police Department officer attempted to stop a 2009 silver Infiniti driven by Ryan Irwin, 29, near Bierdeman Road and U.S. Highway 80 in Pearl. Later reporting and civil litigation established the specific reason for the attempted stop was a window-tint violation. Irwin continued driving away at high speed westbound on Highway 80 while the Pearl officer pursued.
The pursuit continued from Pearl into Flowood. Irwin traveled north on Highway 468/Flowood Drive and then east on Flowood Drive across Airport Road. Flowood Police Department was notified after the pursuit entered its jurisdiction.
Irwin eventually drove into the parking lot behind Academy Sports on Flowood Drive and stopped. A Pearl officer pulled in behind him, got out of the police vehicle, drew a gun and ordered Irwin to exit the Infiniti. According to police, Irwin instead backed the Infiniti away from the officer and returned to Flowood Drive. Flowood police then continued pursuing him.
There was later a significant dispute over which agency was pursuing Irwin during the final portion of the incident. Pearl Public Information Director Greg Flynn subsequently said Pearl's pursuit had ended and Flowood police pursued Irwin after he drove away from the Academy Sports parking lot. WLBT reported that Flowood's account contradicted Pearl's description of the pursuit.
At the intersection of Old Fannin Road and Flowood Drive, Irwin's Infiniti struck a motorcycle being ridden by Steven Pearson, 47, of Vicksburg. Pearson was an uninvolved bystander and was not connected to the attempted traffic stop or police pursuit. The collision ejected Pearson from his motorcycle. His family's subsequent lawsuit alleged that he was thrown approximately 20 feet. Pearson was transported to Merit Health Hospital, where he died.
Police arrested Irwin following the crash. Authorities subsequently reported that he had been driving with a suspended license and without insurance. He was charged with felony fleeing resulting in death. Those circumstances were discovered after the pursuit began; the documented reason for the original attempted traffic stop was the window-tint violation.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol investigated the fatal collision. Pearson's daughter, Trista Pearson, publicly questioned why police continued a pursuit that began over a traffic violation and called for changes to police pursuit policy. Pearl officials said after Pearson's death that they had no plans to reconsider their pursuit policy. Pearl spokesperson Greg Flynn said officers had discretion to terminate a pursuit if it became dangerous but maintained that this pursuit had not reached that threshold.
Pearson's death was the second uninvolved person's death in less than four weeks resulting from a Pearl police pursuit. On 07/21/2022, Pearl police attempted to stop Brandon Andrews for speeding and pursued him into Jackson, where Andrews crashed into a U.S. Postal Service vehicle, killing postal worker Brad Pennington, 32.
A January 2023 WLBT investigation found that Pearl police had initiated 16 of the 90 police pursuits the station identified in the Jackson metropolitan area during the preceding five years, more than any other agency in its analysis. Traffic violations were the most common initiating reason. WLBT also reported that Pearl and Flowood declined to provide their pursuit policies despite public-records requests. Comparison with a countywide pursuit policy used by other Rankin County agencies raised questions about whether a pursuit over a misdemeanor window-tint violation would satisfy the standards used elsewhere in the county.
On 03/14/2023, Pearson's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit. An amended complaint filed in June 2023 named the cities of Pearl and Flowood and Irwin as defendants and sought $10 million in punitive damages. The family alleged that the pursuit lasted approximately 26 minutes, that officers could have terminated it before Pearson was killed, and that officers from Pearl and Flowood violated state law and their departments' pursuit policies by continuing the chase. The lawsuit further alleged that officers lacked information establishing that Irwin had committed a felony when they pursued him.
The lawsuit also accused Pearl and Flowood of failing to adequately monitor, investigate and discipline officers involved in dangerous pursuits. The family's attorney, Ray Gustavis, argued that the pursuit over a window-tint violation unnecessarily endangered the public and that officers had opportunities to discontinue it before Pearson was struck.
Ryan Irwin subsequently pleaded guilty to fleeing a law-enforcement officer resulting in death. Because he was sentenced as a habitual offender, the court imposed a 40-year sentence, with 15 years to serve in prison. The sentence was publicly reported in May 2024.

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2022/08/15/police-chase-started-pearl-leaves-47-year-old-lifeless/10330605002/e-4-weeks/
https://www.wlbt.com/2022/08/15/victim-identified-arrest-made-deadly-pearl-police-chase-that-ended-flowood/
https://www.wapt.com/article/several-agencies-join-police-chase-into-flowood/40891843
https://www.wapt.com/article/daughter-of-motorcyclist-killed-as-a-result-of-police-chase-seeks-answers/41176217
https://www.wlbt.com/2023/01/20/3-your-side-investigates-collateral-damage-police-pursuits/
https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/07/family-wants-10-million-damages-pearl-flowood-after-police-chase-that-killed-innocent-man/
https://www.wlbt.com/2024/05/16/two-men-who-led-pearl-police-deadly-high-speed-chases-receive-decades-long-sentences/

On 08/14/2022, at approximately 3:59 a.m., a marked Coconut Creek Police Department patrol vehicle and a 2017 Toyota Camry driven by 30-year-old Divinity C. Cureton of Pembroke Pines were traveling westbound on West Sample Road near Lyons Road. According to the Broward Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit, Cureton's vehicle struck the rear of the marked police SUV in a sideswipe-style collision. After the impact, the patrol vehicle came to a controlled stop while Cureton lost control of the Camry, struck a palm tree in the center median, ricocheted back into the westbound lanes, and came to rest in the roadway.
Coconut Creek police officers and Margate Fire Rescue responded to the scene. Cureton and the officer were transported to area hospitals. Cureton died from her injuries at approximately 5:04 a.m. The officer was treated and released. Because the crash involved a police vehicle, the Broward Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit assumed responsibility for the investigation.
The Broward Sheriff's Office publicly identified Cureton but did not identify the officer, citing Florida's Marsy's Law. Public reporting located for this case did not identify any subsequent civil litigation filed by Cureton's family, public disputes regarding the official account of the collision, or disciplinary action involving the officer.

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/investigation-continues-into-coconut-creek-crash-that-left-woman-dead-cop-injured/2836114/
https://bocapost.com/news/florida/broward-county/coconut-creek-news/update-police-identify-woman-killed-in-officer-involved-crash/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYD4VDun3PU
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/woman-dies-crash-coconut-creek-police-officer/
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/08/14/woman-dead-officer-injured-following-police-involved-crash-in-coconut-creek/

REASON FOR CHASE: Speeding.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 08/13/2022, 19-year-old Teijo Caden Ray Smith of Clewiston was killed when the 2019 Maserati sedan he was driving crashed into a canal while fleeing Hendry County Sheriff's Office deputies on County Road 835 near Roberts Road.
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At approximately 2:04 a.m., the Maserati was traveling southbound on County Road 835 at high speed while actively fleeing from the Hendry County Sheriff's Office.
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As Smith approached Roberts Road, County Road 835 entered a sharp right-hand curve. Smith continued straight across the southern shoulder toward a large canal running alongside the roadway.
.
The Maserati became airborne, crossed the canal and struck the southern embankment. The vehicle then fell into the canal and came to rest upright along the southern shoreline.
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Smith and his 17-year-old female passenger were pronounced dead at the scene by the Hendry County Sheriff's Office. The passenger was from Hialeah.
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The Florida Highway Patrol Advanced Investigation and Reconstruction Unit investigated the fatal crash. The available public reporting does not disclose why deputies initially attempted to stop Smith or provide a reliable pursuit speed, distance or duration.

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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Hendry County Sheriff's Office did not publicly identify the deputy who initiated the pursuit or the other deputy or deputies involved in the sources located.
.

https://www.fox4now.com/news/state/2-teens-dead-after-car-ends-up-in-canal-while-fleeing-law-enforcement
https://swflorida.blogspot.com/2022/08/obituaries-teijo-smith-fidencio.html

REASON FOR CHASE: The available public reporting does not disclose why deputies initially attempted to stop the vehicle.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 08/13/2022, an unidentified 17-year-old girl from Hialeah was killed while riding as a passenger in a 2019 Maserati that crashed into a canal while fleeing Hendry County Sheriff's Office deputies near County Road 835 and Roberts Road outside Clewiston.
.
At approximately 2:04 a.m., the Maserati was traveling southbound on County Road 835 at high speed while actively fleeing from the Hendry County Sheriff's Office.
.
As the vehicle approached Roberts Road, County Road 835 entered a sharp right-hand curve. The driver failed to negotiate the curve and the Maserati continued straight across the southern shoulder toward a large canal running alongside the roadway.
.
The Maserati became airborne, crossed the canal and struck the southern embankment. The vehicle then fell into the canal and came to rest upright along the southern shoreline.
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The 17-year-old passenger and 19-year-old driver Teijo Caden Ray Smith were pronounced dead at the scene by the Hendry County Sheriff's Office. Contemporary reporting identifies the passenger as a 17-year-old girl from Hialeah but does not release her name.
.
The Florida Highway Patrol Advanced Investigation and Reconstruction Unit investigated the fatal crash. The available public reporting does not disclose why deputies initially attempted to stop the Maserati or provide a reliable pursuit speed, distance or duration.
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Despite searches using the crash date, Hialeah residence, age, location, Teijo Smith's name, obituary records and funeral/memorial combinations, I have not located a sufficiently reliable public source identifying the 17-year-old passenger.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Hendry County Sheriff's Office did not publicly identify the deputy who initiated the pursuit or the other deputy or deputies involved in the sources located.
.

https://www.fox4now.com/news/state/2-teens-dead-after-car-ends-up-in-canal-while-fleeing-law-enforcement