INDIANAPOLIS — Three people are dead after a crash on Indianapolis' east side Tuesday night.
The Marion County Coroner's Office identified the three victims in the crash:
- Makayla Hankins, 21
- Christian Leyba-Gonzalez, 14
- Jose Gonzalez Jr., 32
Indiana State Police said one of the vehicles involved had led officers on a pursuit that was terminated minutes earlier.
According to an ISP spokesperson, the crash happened on East 10th Street and North Mitthoefer Road shortly before 10 p.m. Sept. 26.
About 20 minutes before the crash, officers tried to stop a Dodge Challenger for alleged reckless driving on East Washington Street at Mitthoefer Road. The driver refused to stop and instead led police on a chase into Hancock County, the spokesperson said. Other agencies assisted in efforts to stop the vehicle, but troopers decided to end the pursuit around 9:50 p.m. because of "the reckless and aggressive driving by the suspect."
"When we stop a pursuit, we immediately shutdown our lights and sirens and we turn around and go the opposite direction," said Sgt. John Perrine with Indiana State Police. "Once we terminate a pursuit, we no longer follow, we no longer parallel, we no longer try to block the vehicle or anything like that."
After troopers left the area, they received word of the 10th Street collision and went to investigate because of the proximity to the earlier pursuit. They found two vehicles with extensive damage, one of which was a Dodge Challenger.
According to state police, investigators believe the driver of the Challenger was traveling at a high rate of speed and failed to stop at a red light at 10th Street and Mitthoefer Road. The Challenger struck another vehicle as it went through the intersection.
Two people in the Challenger were pronounced dead at a hospital. The 19-year-old male driver of the Challenger sustained minor injures. He was arrested and faces a preliminary charge of resisting law enforcement causing death.
NOTE: 13News does not name suspects in cases until formal charges are filed by prosecutors.
The driver of the second vehicle, later identified as Hankins, died after being taken to a hospital. There was no one else in that car, police said.
The Challenger ended up in flames in front of Michael Danner's house on 10th Street.
"I was watching TV and I heard it, like a loud skid and crash," said Danner. "Like a big explosion type crash. I could feel the shaking of the house, the whole house shook and you could feel debris raining down on the house. You could hear it like raindrops hitting the house."
He said he and a neighbor attempted to help crash victims in both vehicles.
"It's going to take awhile to get over that, the trauma of it," said Danner. "I can still hear the woman saying, 'she didn't make it.'"
Danner said he and his neighbor rushed to put out the burning Challenger with a fire extinguisher.
"The man was in the car, he was trying to get out. We tried to open the door, couldn't get it open," said Danner. "We decided to deal with the fire before the fire department got here because it was getting so intense."
The crash remains under investigation.