Two children were killed in Detroit Wednesday and three other kids were injured when a driver allegedly hit them with a car while fleeing police, authorities said.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said the police pursuit began at around 8 p.m. and only lasted about 75 seconds before the Chevrolet Camaro fatally struck the two children and then hit three other kids and an adult.
"The speed was such that once the officers initiated their overhead lights, they lost sight of this vehicle because of the speed," Craig told reporters. "What they did see was a plume of smoke; they believed it was an accident. … Once they responded to that location, they saw the two children lying in the street."
Officers tried to render aid to the two children but the kids, identified by NBC station WDIV as Michael Angelo Jackson, 7, and Makiah Jackson, 3, were unresponsive and they were rushed to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Three other children and an adult were struck by the Camaro and were being treated at an area hospital for serious injuries. Both suspects inside the car were in custody, authorities told the station.
The chase began when officers spotted a handgun inside the car, police told WDIV.
