Teen killed after police end chase
Reisterstown car crash also injures three who were riding in a stolen car
A teenager was killed in a crash after a brief police chase in Reisterstown on Monday afternoon, Baltimore County police said.
Three other juveniles were injured in the accident, in which police say a stolen Honda struck an unoccupied truck and then a tree in a residential area of Reisterstown.
Just before 4 p.m., a Baltimore County patrol officer in the area of Highfalcon Road and Meriam Court observed a 2014 black Honda Accord that had been reported stolen in the county on Friday.
The officer stopped the Honda, and the car drove off. The officer pursued the Honda on a brief chase, police said.
At Highfalcon and Candytuft roads in Reisterstown, the stolen Honda struck an unoccupied 2004 Ford truck and continued into a tree in the 300 block of Highfalcon Road.
Taiwan X. Linton, 18, one of the occupants inside the stolen Honda, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The juvenile driver and two other juvenile occupants inside the stolen Honda were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment.
In Baltimore County, department policy dictates that an officer must immediately consult with a supervisor on whether the risks of a car chase outweigh the risk of the suspect getting away. Whenever there’s a chase, there could be a risk to the safety of citizens, other drivers, the police officer and the suspect, said Cpl. Shawn Vinson, a spokesman for Baltimore County police.
“In this case, the supervisor within seconds terminated the pursuit,” Vinson said. “The officer did stop pursuing and the vehicle continued to flee. The officer lost sight of the vehicle and then came up upon the [crash].”
When police do engage in a chase, Vinson said, there is constant conversation between the officer and supervisor to evaluate whether safety factors such as vehicle speed, traffic, weather and nearby populations have changed.
The department also follows up every chase with an administrative investigation to review whether safety protocol was appropriately followed.
Supervisors are reviewing the chase that preceded Monday’s crash in Reisterstown, Vinson said.