A Louisiana officer has been arrested and charged after a high-speed chase that led to the deaths of two teens, authorities said.
David Cauthron, an officer with the Addis Police Department, was chasing a suspect Saturday when he ran a red light at high speed and crashed into a car carrying three teenagers, said Tony Clayton, district attorney for the 18th Judicial District in Louisiana.
Authorities did not say how fast Cauthron was going at the time of the crash in Brusly, a city about 10 miles southwest of Baton Rouge.
Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 16, died and Maggie’s brother, Liam Dunn, remained in critical condition on Tuesday.
Cauthron was arrested Sunday and charged with negligent homicide and negligent injury. Bail for him was set at $100,000 and, as of Tuesday, he remained in the West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center, online records show.
It is not clear if Cauthron has an attorney or someone who can speak on his behalf.
Cauthron was pursuing a 24-year-old suspect accused of stealing his father’s car. The chase began in Baton Rouge and ended when the suspect’s car stopped.
He was arrested and charged with two counts of manslaughter by police in West Baton Rouge.
Maggie and Caroline were cheerleaders at Brusly High School in West Baton Rouge, according to the school.
In a Facebook post, the team mourned the teens.
“Their enthusiasm and bright smiles will be missed more than you can imagine,” the team said in its statement.
The community mourned the loss at a candlelight vigil Monday night at the high school football field.
in a declarationBrusly High School principal Walt Lemoine said the loss was “far reaching” because Maggie’s mother and sister work at the school, while Caroline has an older sister at the school and younger brothers within the system. school.
The district attorney said he has a hard time understanding why the officer was driving so fast at a red light.
“Sirens and police vehicles do not give an officer the authority to run a red light. They must slow down or come to a complete stop when human life is in danger,” Clayton said. he exercised common sense.”