2 Teens Killed In Fiery Crash Near Md.-D.C. Border After Chase
CHEVY CHASE, Md. (WJZ)-- The pursuit of a stolen car comes to a deadly end. Two young boys are killed when the car explodes into flames.
Mike Hellgren explains how it all unfolded.
Police have now identified the driver. He's 16-year-old Reynard Osman from Washington, D.C. The pursuit lasted at least two miles down Connecticut Avenue.
A picture taken by an eyewitness shows the car after it turned into a fireball trapping two teenagers-- 14 and 16 years-old-- inside. They both died.
The stolen Toyota crashed as police chased it down Connecticut Avenue in Montgomery County early Friday morning.
The scene has now been cleared at the Chevy Chase Circle but people there are still shaken.
"I'm very nervous. It's a little bit too much for me. It's a little too close to home for me," said one person.
"It's really scary. I'm 16," said another.
"How horrible it must be to be caught in a fire like that," said a third.
The crash and deaths have raised questions about the police pursuit policy.
Montgomery County allows officers to chase in limited situations. But citing the potential for danger, several police departments in our area have instituted no-chase policies including Baltimore City and County.
Still, two pursuits earlier this year in Baltimore County ended in tragedy, including in January on Dulaney Valley Road when a burglary suspect fleeing the cops caused a major crash and died, although police maintain they stuck to their policy.
"A high-speed chase is always a risky enterprise," Elise Armacost, spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Police Department, said. "It takes a lot of skill for officers to embark on one. It was a moot point in this case. This was a situation where an officer tried to pull someone over. He didn't comply. At that point, we pulled our patrol cars back."
In the Montgomery County case, police have identified the front seat passenger as 18-year-old Reeco Richardson from Washington, D.C.
First responders say they worked frantically to pull the teens who died to safety, but the flames became too intense.
An officer was also hurt in all of this. He suffered shoulder injuries and several burns.
No charges have been filed in the case.
