05-31-2007, 09:46 PM
((From Bay News 9))
Boy Killed by Colliding Cruisers in Pa.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
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By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- As the out-of-control police cruiser hurtled toward them Wednesday night, Crystal Lagrande grabbed her two youngest children and took cover behind a wall.
Lagrande's boyfriend snatched up her eldest, a 4-year-old boy named Daviay, trying to reach safety, too, but they couldn't escape.
The patrol car struck them, killing Daviay Lagrande and shattering the boyfriend's legs. Furious residents later massed at the crash scene and threw bottles and rocks at police.
On Thursday, Mayor Ed Pawlowski apologized to the family, took responsibility for the crash and said the city would pay the family's funeral expenses.
"I want to express my deepest condolences and our most sincere apologies," he said at a news conference. "I'm a parent myself. I can't even imagine the pain they're going through."
Two officers _ one a rookie, the other an eight-year veteran _ had been responding to the same report of a man with a gun when their cruisers collided at a downtown intersection. One of the cruisers slid onto the sidewalk, just a half-block from Lagrande's home.
Crystal Lagrande remembers the car coming toward them, said her uncle, David Jones, a family spokesman.
"She grabbed the baby in the stroller, and she grabbed the daughter and ran to the other side of the wall," Jones said. "Her boyfriend grabbed Daviay and tried to move away, but couldn't."
Another witness, Crystal Spearman, said: "First you heard the sirens, then you heard the tires screech, then you heard the bang. The little boy was laying there, severed in half."
The boyfriend, Jason Marcella, 20, was hospitalized, but police said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Jones said he believes it's clear that police are culpable. "If you have two police cars speeding to the same scene, and there's no recognition that they're both approaching the same intersection, obviously something's wrong," he said.
Witnesses said one of the cruisers had a green light, the other a red light. Police Chief Roger McClean said departmental rules and state law allow officers to run red lights with caution when responding to a possible crime scene.
"Obviously, officers have to proceed to any incident with care," he said.
Residents tossed bottles and rocks at police and cursed at them following the accident, which took place in a poor, heavily minority neighborhood where tensions with police have run high. Several clergy members were called in to help restore order.
"It was an incredibly tense situation last night," Pawlowski said.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin asked residents for "patience and an open mind" as he determines whether to file charges against the officers. They were placed on paid leave pending the results of state police and internal investigations.
Pawlowski said the officers, whose names were not released, "of course are devastated, as everyone here is at the city."
So, too, is Crystal Lagrande.
"She's lost a child and she's going to carry that for the rest of her life," Jones said.
(This version CORRECTS the last name of the victim to Lagrande, not Lagrand.)
Boy Killed by Colliding Cruisers in Pa.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
E-mail this story | Print
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- As the out-of-control police cruiser hurtled toward them Wednesday night, Crystal Lagrande grabbed her two youngest children and took cover behind a wall.
Lagrande's boyfriend snatched up her eldest, a 4-year-old boy named Daviay, trying to reach safety, too, but they couldn't escape.
The patrol car struck them, killing Daviay Lagrande and shattering the boyfriend's legs. Furious residents later massed at the crash scene and threw bottles and rocks at police.
On Thursday, Mayor Ed Pawlowski apologized to the family, took responsibility for the crash and said the city would pay the family's funeral expenses.
"I want to express my deepest condolences and our most sincere apologies," he said at a news conference. "I'm a parent myself. I can't even imagine the pain they're going through."
Two officers _ one a rookie, the other an eight-year veteran _ had been responding to the same report of a man with a gun when their cruisers collided at a downtown intersection. One of the cruisers slid onto the sidewalk, just a half-block from Lagrande's home.
Crystal Lagrande remembers the car coming toward them, said her uncle, David Jones, a family spokesman.
"She grabbed the baby in the stroller, and she grabbed the daughter and ran to the other side of the wall," Jones said. "Her boyfriend grabbed Daviay and tried to move away, but couldn't."
Another witness, Crystal Spearman, said: "First you heard the sirens, then you heard the tires screech, then you heard the bang. The little boy was laying there, severed in half."
The boyfriend, Jason Marcella, 20, was hospitalized, but police said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Jones said he believes it's clear that police are culpable. "If you have two police cars speeding to the same scene, and there's no recognition that they're both approaching the same intersection, obviously something's wrong," he said.
Witnesses said one of the cruisers had a green light, the other a red light. Police Chief Roger McClean said departmental rules and state law allow officers to run red lights with caution when responding to a possible crime scene.
"Obviously, officers have to proceed to any incident with care," he said.
Residents tossed bottles and rocks at police and cursed at them following the accident, which took place in a poor, heavily minority neighborhood where tensions with police have run high. Several clergy members were called in to help restore order.
"It was an incredibly tense situation last night," Pawlowski said.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin asked residents for "patience and an open mind" as he determines whether to file charges against the officers. They were placed on paid leave pending the results of state police and internal investigations.
Pawlowski said the officers, whose names were not released, "of course are devastated, as everyone here is at the city."
So, too, is Crystal Lagrande.
"She's lost a child and she's going to carry that for the rest of her life," Jones said.
(This version CORRECTS the last name of the victim to Lagrande, not Lagrand.)