Two 17-year-old students were killed in a collision with suspected shoplifters following a police pursuit from a mall.
The tragic crash occurred during a suspected shoplifting incident at New Orleans’ Lakeside Mall. According to police, the suspects fled the scene in a 2013 Mercedes GLX at high speeds, resulting in a police pursuit on the interstate. The incident occurred at the end of the exit ramp from I-610 at St. Bernard Avenue, according to reports.
Police ended the chase in less than a minute, when the driver, Joneaka Smooth, 30, failed to make a right-hand turn, crossing two left lanes of traffic before colliding with an elevated grassy median. The fleeing Mercedes was propelled into the air and collided with a 2022 Toyota Camry, according to authorities.
A 17-year-old passenger in the Toyota was killed at the spot, while two other girls were hospitalized before one died from her injuries on Thursday, according to Fox8. The third victim remains in critical condition. Both girls were students at West Jefferson High School, which held a vigil on Thursday.
Smooth surrendered on Thursday and was charged with two counts of manslaughter, one count of negligent injury, hit-and-run, and fleeing an officer; another unidentified 37-year-old female suspect was detained by Jefferson Parish deputies at the scene, turned over to NOPD for questioning, and booked for shoplifting.
Another vacation tragedy occurred this week when a father-of-five perished in a moped crash on his way to meet his children for a day at the beach.
Joseph Koa of Honolulu, Hawaii, was killed while riding his moped down Kapiolani Boulevard at Ala Moana around 6 p.m. on Nov. 27 when he was hit by a car turning left, according to police.
The 34-year-old died of his injuries in the hospital. Koa, a father of five who wasn’t wearing a helmet, was on his way to the beach with his four children and son, all of whom ranged in age from three to sixteen. Joseph’s mother, Peggy Koa, stated: “It’s just been so tough. As a family, we were always together, and we always came together in times of distress.
“They should bury us, you know? Not us, burying our children. It’s extremely hard. The most important thing to me is his babies since they were everything to him. They were his universe. He worked quite hard to provide for them all.” A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist the family. It comes one day after six people were killed in a car crash in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday night.
The collision occurred on Raymond Boulevard and featured an airborne vehicle colliding with a support column connected to the Pulaski Skyway. According to prosecutors, the vehicle was heading south on the route in Essex County when it went off the road while approaching the on-ramp to the southbound lanes of Routes 1 and 9.
Reference: Two Louisiana students, 17, killed in crash with suspected shoplifters after police chase from mall
