MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The investigation continues for Memphis Police Department officials after a fiery crash Tuesday night on Raines and Kirby left three women dead and six others, including a two-year-old girl, hurt.
ABC24 records show this is at least the third time since 2022 that a police chase through this intersection has ended with at least one person's death.
Tuesday, MPD officials said officers started chasing a 16-year-old, now charged with aggravated robbery and carrying a machine gun. The suspect is also charged with evading arrest and was not seriously hurt in the crash.
Police say the 16-year-old driver refused to slow down for a traffic stop, and officers eventually lost his car. Later, MPD said other officers saw the teen’s car near Kirby Pkwy. and East Raines Rd., where police said the driver ran a red light, causing the five-car crash. One of the cars burst into flames.
Kendrell Cummings said he was at the gas station across the street when the crash happened Tuesday.
“I’m checking out, [and] all I hear is, ‘boom,’ and I can see the flame go up outside the window,” he said.
Cummings said he and others ran outside to see what happened.
“We were just like, ‘That is bad,’” he said. “Because the flame went up so high…I thought somebody hit a pump and it just went up.”
Almost a year ago, in Nov. 2023, MPD officers were chasing a car with a man inside accused of shooting at another car carrying three people. MPD officials said the accused shooter died after crashing near the same intersection.
MPD said that the pursuit was necessary at the time.
“Here, lately, it’s been nothing but police crashes that’ve been causing some of the most deadly crashes,” said Terani Works, who has lived in Hickory Hill for about a month.
In Oct. 2022, again at Kirby and East Raines, police were chasing a stolen car that ended in another five-car crash, leaving the suspect dead.
MPD officials said two officers were relieved of duty during the investigation of the crash.
According to MPD policy, “vehicle pursuits are authorized only when an officer has probable cause to believe that one or more occupants of a fleeing vehicle have committed a Violent Felony.”
Works said these crashes are a huge problem.
“I really feel bad for the families that were involved with the losses that were caused last night, because this could have been prevented,” she said.
ABC24 reached out to Memphis Police asking if officers followed MPD policy in the chase Tuesday night. They did not answer.
MPD said the investigation into Tuesday's crash is ongoing.