SEVEN TEENAGERS KILLED IN N. C.

[boothead]

Seven teenagers ranging from 13 to 18 were killed this A.M. about 12:30 after being chased by the Troutman Police. The driver was seen driving in an erratic way and a chase was started. The car ran off the roadway to the left and went into a slid ending up in a small stream-bed on it's top. All seven, 5 boys and 2 girls were killed instantly. The auto was stolen earlier in the night. Some of the victims have not been identified. The teenagers were all from the Statesville, N. C. area. Sorry but this is all I have.

[PeyersPatches]

Yes, I am a retired LEO

---

God bless you for your service to the public! My dad was a LEO as well, God rest his soul. My hat is off to all policemen as I don't think they could pay me enough money to put up with the crap ya'll have to put up with. They sure as heck do not pay police 1/100th of what they are truly worth. Everyone should have as much love and admiration for the police that they do when they are frantically dialing 911!!

[PeyersPatches]

I think AF boot camp is cake. Navy is next easiest. Then Army and Marines. But any of the above could *possibly* turn a malcontent into an man. It's worth a shot in my humble opinion.

---

Maybe before they forced DI's to become "more sensitive" (say that with a loud Democratic lisp!) to recruits. Now? I wouldn't want some of the trash that society has hurled forth in the military. I saw too many malcontents who actually volunteered and somehow made it through Marine boot camp. They bring down the rest. They would be a danger in wartime. Just my opinion on it.

[Henk]

News 14 in Charlotte reporting that two of the dead teens suspected of involvement in a home invasion just two hours before accident.

[Poohbah]

Not long ago these chases were not allowed by police forces for petty crimes like car theft that involved youngsters.

Car theft is not a petty crime.

[Lancey Howard]

"We've had a multitude of people to call who think they may be their family members," Ray said.

Very curious statement.

[xp38]

Fascinating thread. I like your post. Princess Diana and these kids weren't wearing seat belts so you are exactly right. I have read of too many similar accidents of teens in cars not stolen or being chased ending up exactly like this. This result could just as easily have happened without any LEO involved at all. Overcrowded car, no seat belts and erratic driving by inexperienced driver...that's a horror waiting to happen.

[Lancey Howard]

kids joy riding in a pilfered car

A candy bar is "pilfered".
A Dodge Intrepid is not "pilfered".

[DCBryan1]

Very curious statement.

VERY CURIOUS INDEED....
I bet it will take days to find the fathers of some of the "children" fleeing felons. I'll give them a hint: Check the local jail/prisons.

[Ichneumon]

No, I have a problem with stupidity and big deadly egos that kill people needlessly.

You mean, like the driver of the car who turned it into a car chase instead of pulling over when the officer signaled for him to?

[ThePointer]

They bring down the rest. They would be a danger in wartime. Just my opinion on it.

Point well taken. I remember one in particuliar who was sent back 2 weeks *twice*. Nothing could be be done to help him "get it". But I was feeling sappy tonite when I made that post.

Sometimes I'm too much of an optimist. Cheers :)

[Mark was here]

They died primarily due to a lack of good judgment and a belief on the driver's part that he really could drive like the late Dale Earnhardt.

They lack of good judgment was to be a thief, if they chose not the path of thievery, the driving skill of their partner in crime would be moot.

[Atlantian]

From today's AJC:

"The father of one of the victims said none of the teens had licenses and the group had been borrowing cars for joyrides.

Howard Hurtt said his son and the boy's friends had recently been borrowing cars from people they knew and going for rides."

It'll be interesting to see who owned the wrecked car.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Howard Hurtt said his son and the boy's friends had recently been borrowing cars from people they knew and going for rides.

Setting up for the lawsuit already.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The father of the driver says on local T.V. "this could have been avoided.".

Maybe if you hadn't gotten him "Grand Theft, Auto" for Christmas, sir. (I hate to sound like I'm piling on, but what exactly is the alternative, for the police to grant a license to steal to everyone who bolts when pursued?)

[KeepUSfree]

Yeah, your brains aren't "up your #$%^&" - because you have none.
They stole a car and were driving errativcally at a high speed. That is dangerous for everyone. Ever lose a loved one to a young, drunk driver "driving erratically at high speed" - probably not.

I'm not a "big" fan of many police actions. however, this situation is EXACTLY what we have police for.

These kids broke the law, stole a car, did not wear seat belts, were stupid, ran from the cops, killed themselves. Noone else killed them. Although it sad for the familes, this is Darwin in action.

[robertpaulsen]

"I may be naive but I would like to think at least the two girls wanted no part of this. But who the hell knows."

According to the father, it was common knowledge that this "borrowing" was going on. My guess is that the two girls also knew and voluntarily participated.

I mean really, the driver was 15, no one had licenses, the car was "borrowed", they're out at 12:30 in the morning.

[robertpaulsen]

"a belief on the driver's part that he really could drive like the late Dale Earnhardt."

That's the problem -- he did drive like the late Dale Earnhardt.

[robertpaulsen]

Police Say Car In Deadly Police Chase Was Stolen

POSTED: 10:08 AM EST December 30, 2003

Troutman, N.C. -- Police say today that the car involved in the wreck that killed seven Statesville teenagers was reported stolen hours after the crash.

Statesville Police Lieutenant William Halliburton says a 24-year-old city resident reported the car gone from where he'd parked it Sunday night. Police say it appears whoever stole the car probably was among the victims of yesterday's early morning crash.

Mooresville's police chief says one of the dead teens was being investigated for his possible role in a home-invasion robbery in that Iredell County town hours earlier. Police Chief John Crone says four of the six robbery victims identified 18-year-old Quentin Maurice Reed as one of the attackers.

North Carolina's transportation department says the crash was the state's deadliest since ten Plymouth High School students died in a wreck in Washington six years ago.
-- Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Perhaps if they, you and everyone would read more of the Bible (instead of being on the internet all of the time), things like this could be avoided.

Here's a passage to start with:

Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.
Proverbs 1:11 If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause;
Proverbs 1:12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;
Proverbs 1:13 We shall find all kinds of precious wealth, We shall fill our houses with spoil;
Proverbs 1:14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse, "
Proverbs 1:15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path,
Proverbs 1:16 For their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed blood.
Proverbs 1:17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the net in the eyes of any bird;
Proverbs 1:18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.

I don't know what else to say that would benefit. The solution to many of the problems we're seeing can be found in the Bible. However, so few want to read it or have anything to do with God's Word.

[Enterprise]

Yes. All the passengers should have been confronted.

Your second question requires a very lengthy answer. But generally, children who do not obey their parents are not arrested unless they break a law. Even if they do break a law, or several laws, and depending on the severity of the crime, they are only jailed briefly and then returned to their homes.