Two DeKalb County teenagers died and another teen was critically injured when the Cadillac they were riding in crashed, flipped and ignited, Cobb County police said Monday.
Officers attempted to stop the car after the 17-year-old driver made an illegal U-turn, failed to maintain a lane and ran a red light early Saturday morning -- all signs of a possibly impaired driver, Cobb County Police Officer Michael Bowman told the AJC Monday.
But the car didn't stop, and instead accelerated and led police on a short chase that ended when the Cadillac hit two curbs and then a concrete retaining wall along the on-ramp to I-75 southbound, Bowman said.
"We don't know why the driver ran from police," Bowman told the AJC, "but it was an overt attempt to elude the police officer."
None of three teens inside the car had identification at the time of the crash, Bowman said.
A 16-year-old passenger died at the scene. Police did not release his name because of his age but said he was from Lithonia.
The driver, Derrick Pritchett of Stone Mountain, was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, where he later died, police said.
Another 16-year-old passenger, whose name and home town were not released, was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he remained Monday in stable condition following surgery, Bowman said.
Toxicology results are pending, Bowman said.
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