UPDATE: Seven Teenagers Killed in NC car wreck fleeing from police. (1 suspected of home invasion)

The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte.com) ^ | 30 DEC 03 | ERICA BESHEARS, ROBERT MOORE & KATHRYN WELLIN

[DCBryan1]

Eugene Arnold brought his son Nellow Brown, 14, to view the site. Nellow was friends or cousins with most of the kids in the car, and they had wanted to pick him up. Arnold wouldn't let him go."I brought him down here to show him the outcome," he said. "Everybody he grew up with is dead."

Other than the police doing their job and protecting the public from these miscreants, this is the ONLY sensible and responsible adult mentioned in the story!

"Wake my son up!" She looked at her friends, then toward the sky and asked:
"Can you wake him up? Please wake my son up. He was only 13."

Perhaps if parents of these seven children would have put their kids to bed on time and knew where their kids were and who they were with, this mother would not be facing this sensless tragedy.

We should pray for the deceased, the police, the greiving family, friends, and community, and make sure we tell our teenage children that poor choices and irresponsible actions have dire consequences.

[DCBryan1]

PREVIOUS THREAD::
(SEVEN TEENAGERS KILLED IN N.C.)

[dead]

"You follow them, you don't push them to go faster," Hurtt said.

How about "you follow them and make sure they’re in bed, or at least in the house, before 10 pm"?

[ken5050]

There is considerable discussion in police departments about the merits of high speed chases...Many departments do NOT allow the officer in the car to initiate a chase unless first getting radio permission from a supervisor. And more often, when pursuits enter densly populated areas, the officers are directed to abandon the pursuit. However, studies done in response to requests for a blanket policy against pursuing people running from things like traffic offenses..i.e.failure to stop when pulled over have shown that such a policy would actually cause MORE high speed chases, and probably more civilian injuries, becuase everyone would run away if they new they wouldn't be pursued...FWIW, since nearly all police cars have video cameras, if a suspects flees, it should be an automatic 5 year conviction....no ifs, and, or buts...that, IMHO, would stop a lot of these before they start..

[2banana]

Sounds like crime in the area is going to take a sudden drop...

[Moose4]

A fifteen-year-old kid...in a stolen car...weaving in and out of traffic across a double-yellow line on a rural highway...at 80 to 100 mph...in a car WITH A DAMN DOUGHNUT SPARE ON? My God.

The extra information puts the chase in a different light. The officer started the chase then backed off assuming that the Statesville police would set up spike strips. That makes sense, doesn't it? How does an officer NOT give chase to a car doing double the speed limit driving recklessly?

Unbelievable. Some people get found by Darwin. Some people go looking for Darwin. This kid got Darwin's address off the Internet and camped on his freaking doorstep. The biggest shame is that he took six other young people inside with him when the door opened.

}:-)4

[dead]

The Dodge, which had a small spare tire on the right rear wheel

A 15 year-old car thief driving 100 miles an hour on a donut.

Cop’s fault.

[Bikers4Bush]

At least one of them pictured looks like a gang banger wannabe.

Seven teens riding in what I'm sure all of them knew was a stolen car.

Sounds like seven future criminals out of business and a savings to taxpayers to me.

[Badfoil]

Kids steal a car, run from the cops, kill themselves...parents blame cops. Idiots. Yes, their parents must be idiots too.

What comes around goes around. Don't feel sorry for the parents and I don't feel sorry for the kids. They made a concious choice and are now living with their actions.

[blam]

"Cop’s fault."

See the kind of things that happen when there is a reckless administration running the government. ("Bush's Fault!")

[usadave]

"So many of these children (in the community) are related to each other," said Statesville Middle School Principal Pam Helms

Probably by gang affiliation.

[.38sw]

So, the police should not have pursued a car that was speeding, and weaving, and crossing the center line? How much heat would the police be taking today if they had just written down the tag number as suggested, let them go, and then these little cherubs had hit another vehicle head-on and killed others?

[Geezerette]

LOL, Bush & conservatives' fault.

Bump.

g

[DCBryan1]

I just thought I would ping all of you to see if cop bashers and criminal coddlers such as TheCrusader was yesterday, will chime in on today's new developments.

I look forward to seeing your input.

[Andyman]

In our morning paper, one person, the father of one of those killed, I believe, said that the kids often "borrowed" cars for joyrides (quotes mine).

Living a life which equates borrowing with taking no doubt led to this sort of tragedy.

[Labyrinthos]

Cop’s fault.

Its not the fault of the cops -- its the fault of the manufacturer of the car and the donut tire, for failing to warn that unlicensed 15 year old drivers should not drive stolen vehicles at high speed, late at night, in a reckless manner with a donut tire on one of the wheels. The owner of the car is also at fault because he should have known not to leave the car parked next to his house with a donut on the wheel given the chance that an unlicensed, inexperienced and underaged driver would steel the car and then recklessly drive at high speeds to avoid the cops.

[Bikers4Bush]

I'm sure they returned the cars with no damage and a full tank of gas as well.

The only good scumbags are dead scumbags.

[CurlyDave]

What good does it do to write down the tag number of a stolen car?

This is why police have to stop cars.

[Squantos]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1048336/posts?page=164#164

I'm Innocent ....wasn't me ....I didn't touch anything !.........:o)

Stay safe Bryan !

[Age of Reason]

The biggest shame is that he took six other young people inside with him when the door opened.

Most likely no shame. They must have known he was a criminal and approved. They probably aspired to be like him one day.