Victims' Families: Triple Fatal Crash Was Caused By Police Chase
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Two families blame police officers for the Northeast Baltimore crash that left their loved ones trapped in flames. Now there's intense scrutiny over the city's no-chase policy.
Kai Jackson has the department's response.
While city police continue the investigation, a family prepares to bury their loved one, whose granddaughter was born hours after she died.
Flames engulfed vehicles in a fiery accident at York Road and Northern Parkway early Tuesday morning. City police say it happened as 26-year-old Devell Johns and 30-year-old Terrell Young --who was also known as Tavon Brown -- fled from officers trying to pull them over. Johns and Young died after their Honda Accord slammed into a Jeep. The passenger in that Jeep, 46-year-old Angel Chiwengo, also died.
"My father's sittin' up in a hospital, still fightin' for his life right now," said Angela Baker.
Baker's father, Andrew Baker, was driving the Jeep. He's in critical condition at Johns Hopkins Bayview.
"Angel was a nice person. Angel didn't want no trouble with nobody," said Pascaline Chiwengo.
Baker was Chiwengo's co-worker and was giving her a ride home.
Chiwengo's family doesn't understand how this happened.
"The police department seems to try to take less responsibility for what's happened," said Nathan Franklin, Angel Chiwengo's brother-in-law.
City police say they're conducting a thorough investigation.
Family members of Baker and Chiwengo want to know if the officers involved followed the city's no pursuit policy. They also want to know if the police vehicle had lights and siren operating.
"The vehicle did have emergency equipment. The officers were in plainclothes, in a plain vehicle," said Col. Jerry Rodriguez.
All of it is too much to bear for Pascaline Chiwengo and her family. She says her sister Angel died just hours before Angel's daughter, Charlen, gave birth to her first child.
"Yes, that's the first granddaughter. That's the first granddaughter," said Pascaline Chiwengo.
The officers involved have been identified as Officer Adam Storie and Officer Warren Banks II. Storie has been employed with BPD since 2011 and Banks has been with the BPD since 2008.
