LOUISIANA, USA — A Louisiana police officer is facing criminal charges after slamming into a car during a chase, killing two teenagers and injuring another one.
The officer, identified as David Cauthron, 42, with the Addis Police Department, is facing two counts of negligent homicide and one count of negligent injury. He was arrested on New Year's Day in connection to the crash that killed Caroline Gill, 16, and Maggie Dunn, 17, a statement from District Attorney Tony Clayton read.
The third person in the car was Dunn's brother. He is in critical condition, according to CNN.
The crash happened on New Year's Eve about 7 miles south of Baton Rouge.
CNN reports Cauthron was in pursuit of a man accused of stealing a car when he ran a red light and crashed into the vehicle with the three teens.
Scott Courrege, a lawyer with decades of law enforcement experience, told WBRZ that he has been helping some police agencies write their pursuit policies and said Louisiana law allows police officers to speed and run red lights if they are in pursuit of a suspect, but the law also says that police have to slow or stop as necessary for safe options.
"If the officer, in fact, did not use his brakes, and was going over 80 miles an hour into an intersection facing a red light, he probably isn't compliant with the statute that allows him to engage in those activities," he said.
Courrege said what's most concerning about this case is that Cauthron continued the chase after the original agency, the Baton Rouge Police Department, pulled off of it.
According to WBRZ, three different sets of cameras were reviewed before Cauthron was arrested, including his dash cam and traffic cameras.
Prosecutors said the suspect being pursued by Cauthron will also face charges for the crash.