Three people, including a teenager, lost their lives when a sports car pursued by the police in Indianapolis collided with another vehicle just minutes after officers ended the chase, according to authorities on Wednesday.
The pursuit began when an Indiana State Police officer attempted to stop a driver of a Dodge Challenger on suspicion of reckless driving on the east side of Indianapolis, according to state police.
The chase lasted approximately 12 minutes, traversing several city streets before venturing into rural areas of adjacent Hancock County, and then returning to the east side of Indianapolis. Officers attempted to use devices to stop the vehicle, but were unable to get into position to halt it.
After the car exited a sparsely populated area and returned to the east side of Indianapolis, officers terminated the pursuit at 9:50 p.m., in part due to the driver's aggressive and dangerous driving.
Five minutes later, the police learned of a serious accident involving two vehicles near the location where the pursuit began.
Officers discovered that the car, which was carrying three individuals, ran a red light and collided at an "extremely high speed" with a vehicle driven by a woman who was traveling alone.
The woman, who passed away at the hospital, was identified as Makayla Hankins, 21 years old, by the Marion County Coroner's Office.
Two male passengers who were extricated from the Challenger wreckage were pronounced dead at a hospital and were identified by the coroner's office as Christian Leyba-Gonzalez, 14 years old, and Jose Gonzalez Jr., 32 years old.
The police identified the driver of the Challenger as Luis Leyba-Gonzalez, 19 years old, and noted that he suffered minor injuries in the crash. He was arrested on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement causing death, according to the police.
As of Wednesday, Leyba-Gonzalez had not been formally charged, according to online court records, and it was unclear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Originally posted at Abogados de Choques
