DALLAS — Four people died after a police chase in Irving led to a crash off an Interstate 35E ramp near downtown Dallas early Thursday morning, according to police.
All four people were in the vehicle being chased by officers, officials said.
The crash forced police to shut down the Woodall Rodgers exit ramp on southbound I-35E. The Continental exit off northbound I-35E was also closed.
Irving police said the chase started at 2 a.m. in the 3200 block of North Belt Line Road.
Police said they found a stolen vehicle and were trying to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle took off.
Irving police chased after the vehicle until the vehicle lost control and crashed near I-35 and Woodall Rodgers. Irving police spokesman Anthony Alexander said the vehicle went off the ramp to Woodall Rodgers and that all four people in the vehicle died at the scene.
The mother of De'Avion Aubert, 22, confirmed to WFAA that her daughter De'Avion was one of the people who died. Friday, The medical examiner identified the other three people as 21-year-old Sabria Lacey, 21-year-old Anthony Lisbon, and 21-year-old Robert Alexander Gowans Jr.
The mother of Lacey, Monica Roman, issued a statement to WFAA that read in part:
"I am broken today knowing that I have lost her joy and love forever. My daughter is gone because she was a passenger of a police chase that was over 10 miles long from a different city, all because the vehicle was reported stolen. What we do know, is that a car is replaceable, a life is not. She was kind, giving, and a hard-working mother, sister, and daughter." Roman said in a statement.
A celebration of life for Lacey is planned for Feb. 8, according to her mother.
"So this is a tragic event," Alexander said. "I won’t speak to the specifics of it, but I will say that this is a tragic event."
Alexander declined to provide more specifics on the officers' pursuit of the vehicle but noted that the Irving Police Department's policy allows for officers to chase stolen vehicles.
"Officers are required to constantly monitor the situation as they’re in the pursuit in a vehicle," Alexander said. "I will say that time goes fast, or it seems like it goes fast in a pursuit, but it’s their job to make sure that they’re being safe at all times."
A Dallas County sheriff's deputy was injured after crashing into a light pole that fell onto I-35 when the suspects' vehicle crashed. The initial crash knocked the pole onto the highway, and the deputy, who was trying to get out in front of the chase to place down spike strips, hit the pole, and then crashed into a concrete wall. The deputy injured his arm but was treated and later released.
"Just a freak thing that the light pole fell down and he hit it," Dallas County Sheriff's Office spokesman Doug Sisk said.
This is a developing story. We will updated when more information is available.
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