An accident caused by police pursuit of a stolen car killed one person and injured five other people.
At around 9 pm on Wednesday, February 8, police saw a stolen car and tried to approach it, but its driver sped away. Baltimore Police spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said that the car crashed into another car at the intersection of North Avenue and North Wolfe Street in Baltimore. The collision led the cars to crash into a nearby building, causing it to collapse.
The building was said to be vacant.
Firefighters and other emergency responders immediately went to the location to conduct rescue operations.
Before the crash, one of the cars hit a 54-year-old male pedestrian identified as Alfred Fincher. Police reported that the man died at the scene, but that they were not sure what was the cause of death since debris also fell on him as the building toppled down.
Meanwhile, five other people were injured and were immediately brought to nearby hospitals. Two of them were inside the stolen car, a 2017 Hyundai Sonata, while the other three were in a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse, which was hit during the chaotic incident. According to Nuquanna Zimmerman, her mother, who was in the Mistubishi, had to undergo surgery due to broken ankles and a fractured knee. The other injured passengers of the Mitsubishi were her aunt and cousin.
Shawn Lee Brunson, 33, who drove the Sonata, was arrested and charged with auto theft. The vehicle was said to be stolen on February 7. Police said that Brunson will be facing additional charges.
Since police officers are not allowed to pursue a car if the perpetrator’s violation is a “crime against property,” all body cameras are being checked to potentially see why the driver tried to escape the police. The incident is still being investigated by the Baltimore Police’s Special Investigations Response Team and Crash Team.
All that happened because of a stolen car.
