A Louisiana police officer was arrested after two high school cheerleaders were struck by his cruiser and killed during a high-speed chase, authorities said.
Two high school cheerleaders were killed Saturday when a police car involved in a high-speed chase slammed into their vehicle in Louisiana, authorities said.
Addis Police Officer David Cauthron, 42, was arrested the next day and charged with two counts of negligent homicide and one count of negligent injuring, according to online jail records. He remained in custody Tuesday at the West Baton Rouge Parish Jail, awaiting transfer to the Allen County Jail, the records said.
The girls were driving through an intersection Saturday morning when they were T-boned by Cauthron's cruiser, according to authorities. The officer had drove through a red light in pursuit of a stolen car driven by a home invasion suspect, according to District Attorney Tony Clayton.
"That cop has a lot of questions to answer pertaining to his speed and sheer negligence," Clayton told WBRZ-TV. "The public can rest assured, we will follow the facts."
Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 16, were pronounced dead at the scene. Maggie’s brother, Liam Dunn, a freshman at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was in the back seat and is hospitalized in critical condition, officials said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the pursuit of Tyquel Zanders, 24, after he allegedly broke into a relative's home, stole a set of keys and drove off in his father's car, authorities said.
Officers from several law enforcement agencies pursued Zanders, authorities said, at speeds from 80 mph to 100 mph. He was ultimately stopped by a roadblock on Interstate 10, officials said.
He has been charged with home invasion, vehicle theft and aggravated flight, according to Baton Rouge police. The West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said he has been charged with two counts of manslaughter in connection with the girls' deaths.
Zanders is currently in custody at the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail, according to online records.
Neither defendant has yet made a court appearance, according to online records.
