Two innocent bystanders, both teenage girls, are dead and a third victim is injured after a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office chase of suspected shoplifters ended in a fatal crash.
Authorities say it started with three women allegedly stealing from a store in Lakeside Shopping Center. JPSO chased the suspects from the mall into New Orleans where the fleeing driver crashed into another vehicle off I-610 at the St. Bernard exit.
Two 17-year-old girls who had nothing to do with the pursuit died. Cops caught one suspect. Two others remain at large.
"Just before 7:30 pm... JPSO deputies were called to a store in Lakeside Mall after a group of females was seen shoplifting merchandise," JPSO Captain Jason Rivarde said in a news release. "An off-duty deputy spotted the suspects fleeing the area of the mall in a red SUV. That deputy was able to notify responding deputies of the vehicle information via radio, and followed the suspects as they entered I-10 East."
He says more deputies spotted the vehicle near the Jefferson-Orleans line on I-10 East.
"A vehicle pursuit was initiated at 7:33 pm, and lasted less than one minute before being terminated at the direction of a JPSO supervisor. All deputies turned off their overhead lights, and progressed to the St. Bernard Ave. exit to turn around and head back to Jefferson Parish. The termination of the pursuit was documented by both radio transmission and in-vehicle cameras."
Rivarde says as the deputies were heading back to JP, they realized the suspects has collided with another vehicle.
"As they reached the end of the off-ramp, deputies saw that the suspect vehicle had been involved in a severe crash on St. Bernard Ave. at the end of the ramp. Deputies then notified NOPD and New Orleans EMS of the crash and secured the scene. 3 female suspects fled the vehicle on foot. One adult female was found in the area and detained by JPSO deputies."
One of the 17-year-old girls in the vehicle struck by the suspects was pronounced dead on the scene. The other 17-year-old died in the hospital on Thursday.
NOPD arrived at the scene a short time later.
A New Orleans Police news release says:
"Investigators say that at about 7:39 p.m., Smooth was allegedly behind the wheel of 2013 Mercedes GLK that was traveling at a high rate of speed heading East on Interstate 610 when the driver exited at the St. Bernard Avenue off-ramp. The driver failed to negotiate a right hand turn onto St. Bernard Avenue causing the vehicle to cross two lanes of the South bound side of St. Bernard Avenue then struck an elevated grassy median. The forward momentum caused the Mercedes to launch into the air striking a 2022 Toyota Camry.
A 17-year-old female in the Toyota was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other victims in the Toyota were transported by EMS to a local hospital for treatment. Today, one of those victims, a 17-year-old female died of her injuries. The third teenage girl, was at last report, in stable condition.
Investigators say the occupants of the Mercedes fled the scene with one being captured by Jefferson Parish deputies. That 37-year-old woman was then turned over to NOPD for questioning and was later booked by NOPD on a shoplifting warrant from Jefferson Parish. Two other women in the vehicle, including the driver, Joneaka Smooth, remain at large.
Investigation into this incident is ongoing. No further information is currently available."