Officer charged after two teenagers die in high-speed police chase
Luke Gentile
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A police officer in Louisiana was arrested and charged this weekend after two teenage girls were killed during a Saturday police chase.
The incident occurred while Addis Police Officer David Cauthron was pursuing Tyquel Zanders, 24, after Zanders allegedly broke into a home and stole a family member’s car.
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Cauthron chased Zanders through the Baton Rouge area, according to arrest documents.
Zanders ran several red lights and reached speeds of up to 110 mph, according to a report.
High school students Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 15, were killed, and at least one backseat passenger was injured when the chase ended in a crash.
Cauthron’s actions and his role in the chase are being investigated, according to District Attorney Tony Clayton.
The officer was arrested around 9:45 p.m. and booked into West Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a $100,00 bond.
He is facing two counts of negligent homicide and one count of negligent injuring, the report noted.
Zanders was arrested when the car he was driving stalled, and he is facing home invasion, auto theft, and aggravated flight charges, according to the report.
He is also facing two counts of manslaughter, according to the district attorney.
“He is facing well over 100 years in prison, and we plan to fully prosecute him,” Clayton said.
Cauthron has been placed on administrative leave by Addis Police, and a grand jury is set to convene at the end of January, according to Clayton.
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“To celebrate this new year with my family, and for those families not to be able to celebrate with those kids, it’s just despicable,” he said. “And whoever will be held accountable for it, will be held accountable for it, period.”