A teenage girl is dead in a crash in Lafayette, and police say the driver should never have been driving the vehicle in the first place.
The crash happened early Monday morning.
“Six juveniles and one adult were traveling in a vehicle,” says Lafayette Police Sgt. Matthew Benoit. “The vehicle was stolen. The driver of the vehicle was a 14-year-old male. (He) was driving in a reckless manner, lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway, struck a fence (and) a utility pole and then ended up striking a tree when it came to its final rest.”
Terry Mitchell, 17, of Lafayette was rushed to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Two others were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
The 14-year-old boy tried escaping but didn’t succeed.
“The driver actually fled the scene,” says Sgt. Benoit. “He was located shortly after by officers who responded and was taken into custody.”
The boy is in juvenile detention and is facing four charges – one each of negligent homicide, reckless operation, unauthorized use of an automobile and driving without a license.
Benoit notes that while investigators have established that the vehicle was stolen, it’s unclear whether that 14-year-old driver was the one who stole it.
Benoit says the incident is a tragedy.
“It hurts the community,” Benoit says. “It hurts everybody here in Lafayette. It’s something that we never want to see.”
