ST. LOUIS — A woman was killed when her car was hit by an SUV fleeing police in St. Louis' Grand Center neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.
Police said the crash happened at around 4:25 at the intersection of Prairie Avenue and Page Boulevard. Police said the driver of the SUV was trying to get away from police, but that officers had given up on a chase before the crash.
In a news conference, Lt. Col. Rochelle Jones with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said SWAT officers patrolling in the area saw a suspicious transaction between people in two different cars and tried to pull one of the cars over. The car fled from the marked police vehicle, and the officers chased after it.
Jones said the officers backed off from the chase when the car started to speed and run red lights. A little while later, officers were flagged down by people saying there was a serious crash nearby, Jones said.
The SUV that was fleeing from police crashed into a car that had two women inside. One of those women was pronounced dead on the scene, and the other was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The woman who was killed was identified as Reniece Randall. She was 38 years old and lived in Spanish Lake.
A man in the fleeing car was taken into custody. Police have not released his identity but said he's 23 years old. A woman in the fleeing vehicle was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The police department's accident reconstruction team responded to the scene and is handling the investigation.
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