A police cruiser responding to a robbery report with its lights flashing and siren blaring collided with a car at an intersection just northwest of Ohio's capital early Friday, killing six members of a family and injuring an officer, officials said.
Investigators said an officer from the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington was responding to a reported armed robbery at a fast-food restaurant when the crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. at a large intersection with traffic lights.
The cruiser was one of an unspecified number of police cars responding to the robbery, all with their lights on and sirens activated, said Upper Arlington police officer and spokeswoman Heather Galli.
A Columbus man was driving the other car, with his wife in the front passenger seat and four daughters, including a toddler, in the back seat, said Chief Robert Oppenheimer of Perry Township police, who are investigating the crash. None was wearing a seatbelt, and the youngest daughter was not in a child restraint, he said.
"That car was just totaled, and they probably died instantly," Oppenheimer said. Autopsies were planned.
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Just because a cop has flashing lights and a siren does not make it ok to run red lights...The officer was what made this a bad situation... He was speeding to a call, granted, that is what made everything unsafe... The cop still needs to look both ways before just plowing through a interactions... And just cause the cops had lights and siren doesn't make it ok...
ReplyDeleteIts called accountability but what the hell am i say, american people themselves have no accountability let alone the cops...
To Heather. "None was wearing a seat belt"? Great spokeswoman for the police dept. Did you even complete high school?
ReplyDeleteLights and sirens do not change the laws of physics nor the perception abilities of a family in a car singing together or engaged in conversation with windows rolled up. Police may want to use their "activated emergency equipment" as some sort of justification, but duty comes with responsibility to "Protect and Serve". This officer murdered 6 people and wiped out 2 generations of Family, and unfortunately, will skate free. He should be shot.
ReplyDeleteSo, the driver saw the emergency lights and stopped his car, to die. Nice. The Trooper will have no responsibility here, and will keep his job to repeat the same situation again one day.
ReplyDeleteIsn't this what we voted for?