chesire17201
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PA_CHILD_KILLED_PAOL-?SITE=PACHA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Allentown police cruisers crash, killing 4-year-old pedestrian
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press WriterALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- As the out-of-control police cruiser hurtled toward them Wednesday night, Crystal Legrand grabbed her two youngest children and took cover behind a wall.
Legrand's boyfriend snatched up her eldest, a 4-year-old boy named Daviay, and tried to get him out of harm's way, too. But they weren't as fortunate.
The patrol car slammed into Daviay, killing him and shattering both of the boyfriend's legs. Furious residents later massed at the accident scene and threw bottles and rocks at police.
On Thursday, Mayor Ed Pawlowski apologized to the family, took responsibility for the accident and said the city would pay the family's funeral expenses.
"I want to express my deepest condolences and our most sincere apologies," he told a news conference. "I'm a parent myself. I can't even imagine the pain they're going through."
Two officers - one a rookie, the other an eight-year veteran - had been responding to the same report of a man with a gun when their cruisers collided at a downtown intersection. One of the cruisers slid onto the sidewalk, where Legrand, a 22-year-old restaurant worker, and her family were just a half-block from home.
"First you heard the sirens, then you heard the tires screech, then you heard the bang," Crystal Spearman, who said she witnessed the accident, told a newspaper. "The little boy was laying there, severed in half."
Witnesses said one of the cruisers had a green light, the other a red light. Police Chief Roger McClean said Thursday that departmental rules and state law allow officers to run red lights with caution when responding to a possible crime scene.
"Obviously, officers have to proceed to any incident with care," he said.
Family spokesman David Jones, who is Crystal Legrand's uncle and Daviay's great-uncle, said it's clear that police are culpable.
"If you have two police cars speeding to the same scene, and there's no recognition that they're both approaching the same intersection, obviously something's wrong," he said.
Jones said Crystal Legrand described the seconds leading up to the crash.
"The only thing she can remember is that the car was coming, and it seemed like it was coming in slow motion," he said. "She grabbed the baby in the stroller, and she grabbed the daughter and ran to the other side of the wall. Her boyfriend grabbed Daviay and tried to move away, but couldn't."
The family spokesman spelled their last name as Lagrande, but both the mother and the coroner confirmed it was spelled Legrand.
The boyfriend, Jason Marcella, 20, was hospitalized, but police said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Residents tossed bottles and rocks at police and cursed at them following the accident, which took place in a poor, heavily minority neighborhood where tensions with police have run high. Several clergy members were called in to help restore order.
"It was an incredibly tense situation last night," Pawlowski said.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin asked residents for "patience and an open mind" as he determines whether to file charges against the officers, who were placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of a state police investigation and a separate internal probe.
Pawlowski said the officers, whose names were not released, "of course are devastated, as everyone here is at the city."
So, too, is Crystal Legrand, who returned Thursday afternoon to the scene.
"My son was standing there, playing with leaves. He didn't know he was never going to see me again," she said. "My son fulfilled the reason why God put him on earth and that was to make me a better person."
I for one would like to know more about this " Man with a gun" call...........
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PA_CHILD_KILLED_PAOL-?SITE=PACHA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Allentown police cruisers crash, killing 4-year-old pedestrian
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press WriterALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- As the out-of-control police cruiser hurtled toward them Wednesday night, Crystal Legrand grabbed her two youngest children and took cover behind a wall.
Legrand's boyfriend snatched up her eldest, a 4-year-old boy named Daviay, and tried to get him out of harm's way, too. But they weren't as fortunate.
The patrol car slammed into Daviay, killing him and shattering both of the boyfriend's legs. Furious residents later massed at the accident scene and threw bottles and rocks at police.
On Thursday, Mayor Ed Pawlowski apologized to the family, took responsibility for the accident and said the city would pay the family's funeral expenses.
"I want to express my deepest condolences and our most sincere apologies," he told a news conference. "I'm a parent myself. I can't even imagine the pain they're going through."
Two officers - one a rookie, the other an eight-year veteran - had been responding to the same report of a man with a gun when their cruisers collided at a downtown intersection. One of the cruisers slid onto the sidewalk, where Legrand, a 22-year-old restaurant worker, and her family were just a half-block from home.
"First you heard the sirens, then you heard the tires screech, then you heard the bang," Crystal Spearman, who said she witnessed the accident, told a newspaper. "The little boy was laying there, severed in half."
Witnesses said one of the cruisers had a green light, the other a red light. Police Chief Roger McClean said Thursday that departmental rules and state law allow officers to run red lights with caution when responding to a possible crime scene.
"Obviously, officers have to proceed to any incident with care," he said.
Family spokesman David Jones, who is Crystal Legrand's uncle and Daviay's great-uncle, said it's clear that police are culpable.
"If you have two police cars speeding to the same scene, and there's no recognition that they're both approaching the same intersection, obviously something's wrong," he said.
Jones said Crystal Legrand described the seconds leading up to the crash.
"The only thing she can remember is that the car was coming, and it seemed like it was coming in slow motion," he said. "She grabbed the baby in the stroller, and she grabbed the daughter and ran to the other side of the wall. Her boyfriend grabbed Daviay and tried to move away, but couldn't."
The family spokesman spelled their last name as Lagrande, but both the mother and the coroner confirmed it was spelled Legrand.
The boyfriend, Jason Marcella, 20, was hospitalized, but police said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Residents tossed bottles and rocks at police and cursed at them following the accident, which took place in a poor, heavily minority neighborhood where tensions with police have run high. Several clergy members were called in to help restore order.
"It was an incredibly tense situation last night," Pawlowski said.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin asked residents for "patience and an open mind" as he determines whether to file charges against the officers, who were placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of a state police investigation and a separate internal probe.
Pawlowski said the officers, whose names were not released, "of course are devastated, as everyone here is at the city."
So, too, is Crystal Legrand, who returned Thursday afternoon to the scene.
"My son was standing there, playing with leaves. He didn't know he was never going to see me again," she said. "My son fulfilled the reason why God put him on earth and that was to make me a better person."
I for one would like to know more about this " Man with a gun" call...........