Published: May 21, 2006 12:35 am
Published: May 21, 2006 12:35 am
Two die in crash after police stop
By Steve Swogetinsky / staff writer
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN — Two people died and another was hospitalized Saturday after an attempt to elude a Meridian police officer ended in a one-car accident.
Meridian Police Chief Benny DuBose said an officer, whom the chief would not identify, witnessed what he believed to be an illegal drug transaction at 10:47 a.m. He stopped a van carrying two men and a woman near 45th Avenue and Fifth Street. When the driver did not have a driver’s license or proof of insurance, DuBose said, the officer radioed for backup.
At that point, the driver of the van fled the scene.
DuBose said the officer ran back to his car and called for help. He tried to catch up to the van, but it crashed less than a minute later after the driver lost control in the S-curve intersection of Fifth Street and 37th Avenue.
“We were still trying to catch up when the accident happened,” DuBose said. “Our officer was about a block-and-a-half behind.”
Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler said van passengers Miranda Harvey, 22, and Karl Porter, 35, both died at the scene from head injuries. Harvey was ejected from the vehicle. The driver, who was not identified by police, was being treated Saturday at Rush Foundation Hospital.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol was called in to investigate the accident. Mike Cain, an accident reconstructionist for the Highway Patrol, said he would file a report following his investigation.
Senior staff writer Ida Brown contributed to this report
Published: May 21, 2006 12:35 am
Two die in crash after police stop
By Steve Swogetinsky / staff writer
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN — Two people died and another was hospitalized Saturday after an attempt to elude a Meridian police officer ended in a one-car accident.
Meridian Police Chief Benny DuBose said an officer, whom the chief would not identify, witnessed what he believed to be an illegal drug transaction at 10:47 a.m. He stopped a van carrying two men and a woman near 45th Avenue and Fifth Street. When the driver did not have a driver’s license or proof of insurance, DuBose said, the officer radioed for backup.
At that point, the driver of the van fled the scene.
DuBose said the officer ran back to his car and called for help. He tried to catch up to the van, but it crashed less than a minute later after the driver lost control in the S-curve intersection of Fifth Street and 37th Avenue.
“We were still trying to catch up when the accident happened,” DuBose said. “Our officer was about a block-and-a-half behind.”
Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler said van passengers Miranda Harvey, 22, and Karl Porter, 35, both died at the scene from head injuries. Harvey was ejected from the vehicle. The driver, who was not identified by police, was being treated Saturday at Rush Foundation Hospital.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol was called in to investigate the accident. Mike Cain, an accident reconstructionist for the Highway Patrol, said he would file a report following his investigation.
Senior staff writer Ida Brown contributed to this report
